Till the pages Fade
by xXxhiddenangelxXx
Summary: High school was never a walk in the park; dealing with grades, classes, tennis... and now girls! TezukaxOC and others. On temporary hiatus!
1. A New Beginning

**A/N: Well, this is my first attempt at a POT fanfic.... well my first attempt at ANY fanfic! After several days of work, this is the result. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1 – A new Beginning

The sun was barely up when Kunimitsu Tezuka woke up. He was ready and downstairs very early today, it being the first day of school. He was officially starting his senior year at Seishun High School Academy. **(A/N: yes they're in high school... as mentioned in the summary). **He didn't want to be late (like he ever was) and after all, he had to live up to his reputation and set a good example. He eventually left to meet up with his friend Oishi at the subway train station.

"Hey, Tezuka. Another year huh?" Oishi commented as they entered the subway. "Another chance at the Nationals. Do you think we can win this year?"

"I don't know," came the stoic reply. "But either way, we must practice hard." Oishi smiled, knowing well that his friend strives to take Seigaku to the Nationals. Tezuka, this will be our year!

The two got off at their destination and were greeted by none other than the very clingy Eiji Kikumaru.

"OISHI!! How was your summer?? Mine was great!! My family and I went to so many amusement parks, oh and there was this one ride where…"

The bouncy red-head trailed on until they reached their classroom, where they were greeted by Fuji, Taka, and Inui. Eiji began telling his story once again as Tezuka walked to his assigned desk (third row, right next to the window). Out of habit the guys followed, leaning or sitting atop the surrounding desks discussing their vacations. There were a few other people in the room; a couple of guys by the door, and the objects of their attention - Midori Sayuki and her friends.

**Character Intro **

**Name:** Sayuki Midori (3rd year)

**Age:** 17

**Hair:** black, straight, medium-length (just past her shoulders)

**Eyes:** green

**Hobbies:** reading and cooking

**Likes:** gardens and quiet, peaceful places when alone

**End**

"Ah, konichiwa Oishi," her friend Rukia said shyly.

**Character Into**

**Name:** Koizumi Rukia (3rd year)

**Age:** 17

**Hair:** brown, wavy, long

**Eyes:** dark brown

**Hobbies:** playing at beaches

**Likes:** ice cream and puppies

**End**

"Oh, uh… good morning Koizumi," Oishi replied, turning a shade of pink. Tezuka rolled his eyes away from them, choosing instead to look outside the window. Over the summer, his friend and Rukia had become very close and at the moment, it was a little sickening to see their infatuated faces.

Brinngg!!! The bell rang, causing Rukia and Oishi to break from their trance, and as the teacher entered, everyone shuffled quickly to their seats. Rukia's friend Midori silently took her seat, which happened to be next to the all-too-famous Seigaku captain, one which was very thankful it wasn't a fangirl (Midori definitely wasn't one of them).

"Welcome back everyone. Now let's begin…" the teacher said, starting the class.

* * *

Class dragged on in its usual manner until the lunch bell rang, which brought a wave of excitement over the students. Tezuka got up, collected his things, and walked out in his typical impassive way, causing girlish giggles to fill the room. Midori, noticing this, rolled her eyes at his fangirls. She had never really been able to understand their liking for Tezuka. Yeah, he was good-looking... _Very good looking,_ she had to admit. But besides that, he was just cold and distant – despite his popularity.

She couldn't say she knew him very well either. The only time they'd ever talked was last year, during an English project they were paired up for. And even during that time, he had only spoken when it was absolutely unavoidable. Midori hadn't resented him or tried to get him to talk like his fangirls would've and for that he was grateful, more than she knew it.

The only thing that'd come out of that week was the mutual respect they'd developed for each other. Although they'd never voiced it, they respected each other because they were equal in many ways; school, popularity, grades… tennis.

"Hey, ready for lunch?" Rukia's cheery voice brought Midori out of her trance. She slowly smiled as she regained awareness of her surroundings and agreed as they made their way to the cafeteria. They were early, Midori realized, as there were only a few students around. Tezuka and his egg-headed friend Oishi were there, seated at the end of the cafeteria at their regular table. **(A/N: pun slightly intended. I couldn't help it!! Hehe)**

Rukia did a double-take when she saw Oishi and turned to her friend with a pleading look.

"What?" Midori asked confusedly. She looked from her friend to the table at which the two boys were seated and immediately realized what was about to happen.

"Oh no… No. No. No! We're not going there so you can talk to Oishi!" she whispered furiously, but Rukia had begun to drag her and they were now nearly in hearing distance of the table.

"Please! For me," her friend mouthed as they approached the boys. Midori was about to argue but Rukia had sat down and was already in deep conversation with Oishi.

So, deciding it would be rude to walk away – not that Tezuka or Oishi would care – she sat herself down in front of Tezuka, who gave his unspoken acknowledgement of her presence with a slight nod. Midori returned it with a quiet hello. Rukia and Oishi had slowly scooted to the side to get some privacy in their chat, leaving their two friends to eat in silence. Neither was the type to start a conversation, especially with each other. But then again neither of them minded the quietness. Unfortunately for them though, it didn't last very long.

The cafeteria began filling up rapidly and so did the table they were sitting at. Within minutes, their table was easily the loudest and most crowded there. The boys' and girls' tennis teams usually shared that table and of course it was constantly surrounded by fanboys and fangirls.

Even though almost everyone was chatting happily and discussing their vacations, Tezuka sat soundlessly eating his lunch. He didn't at all appear eager to talk, nor did he notice any of the girls eyeing him from across the room. Midori talked with her friends Fuji and Hikari for a bit but for the most part, she too sat in silence.

This silent treatment continued for the next few days but neither of them cared enough to break it.

**Character Intro**

**Name:** Takeda Hikari (3rd year)

**Age:** 17

**Hair:** brown, straight, short (up to her neck)

**Eyes:** amethyst

**Hobbies:** reading literature and playing the piano

**Likes:** spicy foods

**End**

* * *

One day after school, she, Rukia, and Hikari made their way to the city street courts. They often came here to practice and since school practices were due to begin soon, it was the perfect time to get into shape.

"So Ruki, I see you and Oishi spending all lunch together," Hikari said cheekily as she and Midori starting playing in the empty court. "Is there something going on?"

Rukia blushed red from the bench. "Well… I, uh…" she stammered on, making Midori giggle as she hit a solid smash and won the point.

"15-LOVE, right Rukia?" Hikari teased.

"Oh, shut up! You have a boyfri-"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Hikari said, clearly punctuating every word. She stopped playing and turned to Rukia, giving Midori a lead of now an entire game.

Midori stopped too and laughed. "Sure, but everyone knows you and Shusuke are practically together."

Hikari was about to argue – even though she knew they were right – but stopped as she noticed a couple of people entering the courts. Midori and Rukia turned too, quickly recognizing the visitors. They were a couple of 3rd years from Gyokurin. One of the guys smirked when he saw them and approached.

"Hey. Do any of you girls wanna play a quick match with me?" he asked, eyeing them – especially Midori.

"Sure, I'll play," Midori answered coolly and the guy looked thoroughly pleased. Despite her calm demeanor, inside Midori was determined to beat this pervert. She secretly winked to her friends, who smirked knowing what was to come, and stepped on the court.

She got into position and pulled out one of her tennis balls, and served. An ace. Her opponent stood rooted to the spot, looking stunned, she was pleased to see. Determined to keep going, she didn't bother asking him to return the ball. Instead, she pulled out another one and served.

After 20 minutes or so, Midori had won easily with 6-0.

"See you next time," she smiled sardonically at her opponent as she and her friends left the courts.

"Did you see the look on that guy's face?!" Rukia laughed. "He looked like he was gonna pee his pants when you first aced him!"

The three laughed until they parted, where they bided goodbyes. As Midori made her way home, she couldn't help but wonder about something. When she had aced her opponent, she'd seen what looked like a Seigaku tennis shirt. She remembered seeing the blue and white near the steps leading to the courts, but didn't pay too much attention as she was too absorbed in the match.

For a second, Midori had thought she'd mistaken herself, but now that she thought about it, she was sure it was a Seigaku tennis shirt. She wondered who it could've been.

_It had to be one of guys on the tennis team; a regular most likely,_ she thought as she entered her house. _After all, the guys do go there often._ She sighed and gave up, and eventually the thought escaped her mind.

* * *

The next day, lunchtime…

As Midori walked into the crowded cafeteria of Seishun, she sighed with disappointment upon seeing the regulars' table. She was secretly hoping a certain someone wasn't there – so that she could be spared from another awkward lunch – but he was.

Tezuka sat there, stoic as ever. But there was something different in his manner today. Usually he would avoid looking at anyone particular, but today he kept glancing at the entrance doors as if waiting for someone. Once again he turned towards the entrance doors, although this time he didn't wait too long as what he'd been waiting for had walked right in.

Tezuka caught Midori's eyes and after a second – in which he seemed to be pondering about something – he turned his look away. Midori stopped; to her this was a strange behavior for Tezuka. Although she wasn't a hundred percent sure of it, she felt certain that he'd been waiting for her. It was one of those gut feelings.

Closing her eyes, she sighed. It's _not likely. Why would he be waiting for me anyways? _She asked herself logically. After gaining composure, Midori walked to the table. It was crowded like always. She noticed Rukia and Oishi in deep conversation like always, and sighing she sat down opposite Tezuka – as always. As she took her seat, he did the strangest thing. He rolled a tennis ball across the table towards her. Midori caught it swiftly and gave Tezuka a puzzled look before she noticed something written across the ball.

**Sayuki Midori**

It was her name; she remembered writing it in herself out of mere boredom.

"My tennis ball…" she mumbled. "I thought I lost this somewhere." Then more clearly she added, "Where did you find it?"

"At the street courts," he answered in an indifferent manner. He picked up another biteful of his lunch and chewed. It was a minute of so before he realized her eyes were on him. Midori was waiting for a more clarified explanation, though she already had a pretty good guess as to how he had her personal tennis ball. "I picked it up after you left."

"You were there?" she asked as his reply triggered her to remember something. Suddenly the blue and white she'd seen yesterday made more sense as to why they were there. _So it was you I saw… _Midori thought.

"After you left - yes." After a pause of awkward silence he said, "You played well."

Midori stopped mid-chew upon hearing this. "You saw me play?" she asked after swallowing hurriedly.

"Yes. And you played quite well," he said nonchalantly. Midori was really surprised; such a compliment from Tezuka was rare and never had she expected to get one, especially one regarding tennis.

"Thanks," she mumbled and quickly finished her lunch; chewing kept her safe from having to say anymore. Several minutes later when Midori had finished her lunch, she got up and muttered another word of thanks.

"… for returning the ball," she hastily added though. As Midori walked around Tezuka towards the entrance doors, he turned and asked, "What about you friend?"

He was indicating Rukia, who was so busy talking to Oishi that she hadn't noticed Midori – or anyone else for that matter – all lunch. Midori smiled when she shot a fleeting look at the couple.

"Don't worry, they're too absorbed with each other to notice if I leave." With another smile she added, "I guess that means you're free to ditch too."

Tezuka turned around and gave a rare smirk at her remark. Thankfully for him though, nobody caught it.

* * *

**Well? What do guys think of the first chapter? (I hope it wasn't too pathetic for a first attempt).**

**Anyways, please review!**


	2. An Even Bigger Mystery

**A/N: Okay I've worked very hard for this next chapter! Hope you enjoy it! And thanks to those who've subscribed, I appreciate it.**

**Oh and I realized I didn't get the chance to acknowledge someone in my last chapter.** **Sekainoowari, thank you very much! You've given me a lot of inspiration and help to get me started. All your ideas and suggestions really have been useful. Thank you! **

**To CreamieWings, Shiraishi will come in sometime later.**

**I was originally planning to have this story shared between a TezukaxOC and a ShiraishixOC but due to my lack of creativity for Shitenhouji, it won't seem likely to happen. I'll focus on Seishun for now, but OC pairings for other schools will happen later on too. ^_^**

**And now, on with the second chapter!**

Chapter 2 – An Even Bigger Mystery

It had been two weeks since the beginning of the new school year and all students at Seishun Academy could talk about was the upcoming tennis intra - squad matches. These matches were held at the beginning of every school year at Seigaku to determine the teams' regular line – up.

It was pretty obvious to the student population who the regulars were going to be for the boy's team, but (for once) it was the girl's team that was being noticed more. It was the captain's spot that everyone was so curious about because this year there was were two very likely girls for the job.

One of these girls was Midori Sayuki, very talented and more favored for the job. Midori was smart, responsible, liked and respected, by students and teachers alike. On the other hand, her only competition was Haruhi Nakamura; popular, attractive, and blonde but with a heart of stone. Haruhi was "evil to the core" as Rukia had described her.

But it was true; the girl had sucked up to the sempais the year before to become a regular on the tennis team, and had stolen countless other girls' crushes or boyfriends, deliberately! Haruhi now had quite a reputation with the male population of Seigaku; guys wished they could hook up with her despite knowing that they would likely get dumped the next day.

Talent – wise… everyone knew that Midori was better. But everyone also knew that Haruhi was aiming for the captain's spot to gain maximum popularity and nobody dared to stand in her way. The girl was ready to pull all the strings. Who could forget the infamous dispute Haruhi had with Midori last year over the singles 1 spot. Haruhi had fought for it hard, going as far as to the coach. But unfortunately for her, coach Ryuzaki wouldn't budge.

The coach had – for a long time now – trusted Midori with the singles 1 spot and "wasn't about to change her mind now," she had told the impulsive girl. The girl had lost her chance the year before but now, as a sempai, she wasn't going to lose her opportunity.

"When _**I**_ become captain of the girls team, you two will surely become regulars," Haruhi said one day to her two friends (cronies) in the hallway when Midori passed by. _She's just trying to provoke you. Don't say anything. Ignore her!_ Midori told herself in an attempt to calm her anger down. But no matter how hard she tried, she could still hear the three girls down the hallway; although they weren't really making an effort to keep quiet themselves.

"But don't the intra – squad matches determine the regular line – up?" one of the girl's cronies asked stupidly.

Haruhi flipped her glossy blonde hair and rolled her eyes. "Yeah. But _**when**_ I'm captain, I'll have every right to decide the regular line – up myself," she replied loudly, enough for everyone – especially Midori – to hear. Gritting her teeth in anger, Midori walked off, for class was about to start. And seeing this, Haruhi smirked arrogantly. She knew Midori was too wise to say anything, the girl was hard to kindle she had to admit. But nonetheless, Haruhi still enjoyed taunting her. _Sayuki,_ the girl thought as she saw her rival walk off, _this will be MY win! _

* * *

The much anticipated intra – squad matches were starting that very day after school. After changing, Midori walked over to the board where the groups were listed and searched for her name.

**Midori Sayuki, group A. First match in court A. **

Midori ran her finger down the list of names and stopped when a name caught her attention.

**Ann Tachibana, group A. ****First match in court A.**** Already played. Won.**

_Tachibana? Could she be related to Keppei?_ Midori wondered. _But he goes to Fudomine… _She knew Keppei; he was well – known as Fudomine's captain and a talented national – level player. Midori continued down the list until she saw another name that caught her attention.

**Haruhi Nakamura, group A. ****First match in court B.**** Already played. Won.**

Midori's eyes narrowed at the sight of that girl's name. _It's unavoidable then,_ she thought. _I'll have to play her at any rate in the second round._

"Midori!" Rukia called from behind the said girl. Midori turned around to see Rukia and Hikari approaching her, dressed in their tennis shirts. "So, what group are you in?"

"Group A. What about you guys?" she asked when they reached her.

"I'm in group B and Ruki here is in group D," Hikari answered for the brunette in a huffed voice. Clearly she'd already played her first match and seeing her beaming face, it was obvious she'd won.

"Uh, I have to go guys. First match in 2 minutes!" Rukia smiled as she rushed off to court D. Her friends watched her go before Midori turned back to Hikari and quietly said, "Glad we're not in the same group. Wouldn't want to risk our chances at the line – up by playing a match so early."

Hikari smiled. She took no offense to what her friend said, for she understood the reasons as to why she said it. "Likewise," she replied, smiling. And Midori returned the smiled with much relief. She knew Hikari would take no offense but what she said was true. Hikari was a very adept player, her skills and style of play were very much like her sadistic boyfriend ("of sorts," she would interject). And even though Midori was a talented player herself, she was not foolish enough to be disappointed that she wouldn't be playing Hikari. Choosing to change the subject, Hikari asked, "So, have you already played your first match?" **(AN: all the first – round matches were to be played that afternoon).**

"No, which reminds me… I should get going. Wish me luck!" And she ran off to court C.

Hikari chuckled and said to herself, "You won't need it."

* * *

The next day, lunch time…

After a quick and easy win yesterday, Midori was feeling a bit more pressure for the second – round matches today; although the win gave a bit more confidence as well. Her second match wasn't until after school but she couldn't keep herself away from Seigaku's tennis courts that lunch. She was curious to see how the other members were doing in the rankings, particularly a cocky first – year by the name of Ryoma Echizen.

At the moment, Midori was standing outside court D on the boys' side and watched as the smug first – year beat Kaoru 6 – 4.

"Mada Mada Dane… sempai," Ryoma said his famous line with his all – too – famous cockiness. And as the boy walked off the courts (leaving a very angry Kaoru), Midori chuckled to herself. _Typical Ryoma,_ she thought. _Can't stop showing off to save his life._

The adorable first – year was never very talkative, Midori recalled. But he spoke to her quite openly. They'd met through Coach Ryuzaki and to the coach's surprise, the two got along pretty well. Midori was at least one girl Ryoma could talk to without having to worry about annoying fangirl-ish giggles, and plus the older girl kept away his fangirls when he was talking to her. The first – year girls were never as confident to approach Ryoma when he was talking to a very reputable but intimidating sempai.

Midori chuckled again at the memory until an announcement caught her attention. "Game Tachibana, 5 – 3."

_Tachibana?!_ Midori's eyes perked up at the name and she quickly made her way towards the girls' court; she was curious to see who this girl was. Once she got there, Midori saw the two girls on the court; one of them she recognized as a fellow third – year.

_That must be Tachibana,_ Midori thought as she observed the smiling girl with short brown hair on the opposite court.

**Character Intro**

**Name: **Tachibana Ann (2nd year)

**Age: **16

**Hair: **lightbrown, straight, short

**Eyes: **blue

**Hobbies: **street tennis and collecting barrettes

**Likes: **American fast foods (thanks to Momo)

**End **

Meanwhile, Ann was so absorbed in the match that she didn't notice the small crowd around the courts. It was her opponent's serve and she retuned it to the corner. Her opponent was losing her energy and hit a weak back – hand, giving Ann the opportunity to strike in the opposite corner and win the point.

"15 – Love," the referee announced. A smile formed on Midori's face.

"Pretty good," she murmured to herself. _Though her footwork needs work, _she recognized that immediately. _She needs to be quicker._

"40 – love." Ann had won the next two points quickly, owing to her opponent's lack of stamina.

"It's match – point! That second – year can win this!" someone in the crowd shouted. It was Ann's serve and she hit it in the corner with good aim. Her opponent however, was able to return it but was too tired so she was forced to hit a lob. Ann jumped and hit a flawless smash.

"Game – set! Match won by Tachibana Ann, 6 – 3." After shaking hands with her opponent, Ann made her way over to a corner of the court and as the crowd dispersed, Midori followed.

"Congratulations," Midori said to the second – year from behind.

Startled, Ann turned around (she'd been putting away her racket in her tennis bag). "Sayuki – sempai!" Clearly she'd already heard about Seigaku's only national – level female starter.

"Congratulations," Midori repeated with a smile. "You played a good game." A smile appeared on the second – year's face as well.

"A-arigatou sempai," Ann thanked the older girl. Midori sighed.

"Okay, I'm not going to beat around the bush. I came here to ask you something Ann – chan – if I may call you that (to which she received a nod). Are –"

"Wait! Let me guess. You want to know whether I'm related to Keppei Tachibana of Fudomine, right?"

Midori's eyes perked up in surprise but she quickly smiled sheepishly and nodded.

Ann chortled. "Yes, I am. He's my older brother," she answered.

"Oh… I see you must've gotten that a lot," Midori replied with another sheepish smile. "You used to go to Fudomine with your brother though right? If you don't mind me asking, why did you transfer to Seigaku?"

The second – year picked up her tennis bag and the two girls walked out of the courts together. "I loved going to Fudomine, but they have no girls' team," Ann answered in a slightly disappointed tone. "I really wanted to go a school with more talent within the girls and –"

"And Seigaku was closest in the area that fit your requirement, right?" Midori finished for the girl with a grin.

"Yes," Ann confirmed. "Besides, I already have a friend here who – for a long time – had been urging me to come to Seigaku."

"Oh, who?" the older girl asked as they entered the school building.

"Yuki," came the reply. "Yuki Amane."

"Oh wait, you mean that spunky second year!" Midori said.

She remembered that girl; she was a pretty good tennis player and had come very close to becoming a starter last year… if she hadn't lost to Hikari; the female tensai was just too good. But all the starters the year before had wished Yuki hadmade the team. She was a much better - and deserving - player than Haruhi, who had taken and totally wasted the last available spot on the starters' line – up.

As if she'd read Midori's mind, Ann said, "Too bad she didn't make the line – up last year. She was really disappointed."

"Yeah, she would've been a great addition to the team," Midori sighed. "By the way, how do you know Yuki anyways?"

"Oh we used to go to the same summer camp. That's where we met," answered Ann in a perkier tone.

Her sempai smiled. "So how are you liking Seigaku so far?"

"Two weeks and I'm still here and well," Ann chuckled. "Coincidentally, Yuki and I are in the same class and she showed me around the school so I know my way around pretty well now. It sure is a lot bigger than Fudomine and everyone's friendly for the most part."

Midori was about to say something but the school bell rang, indicating the end of lunch.

"Oh shoot! We're going to be late! Class 2 – 8 should be this way right sempai?" Ann asked urgently, pointing to the hallway on the right.

Midori laughed and answered, "Yes, it's the last door on the left. Don't worry, you'll make it. Oh, and if ever you need anything, you can always ask me."

"Thanks sempai!" the second – year shouted as she ran off to class. Chuckling, Midori too rushed to her classroom on the third floor.

* * *

Afternoon classes seemed to pass off fairly quickly, or maybe it was because Midori's mind was wandering to the yet – to – come after school matches. And as the last bell rang, students rushed out of class and filled the hallways. Midori, with Rukia and Hikari, headed straight to the girls' clubroom but only she changed as her friends had already played their second – round matches in the morning practice and had won. That meant that they were surely going to be starters that year. As Midori stepped out of the clubroom, her friends approached her.

"Court B this time," Rukia informed her with a smile.

Midori sighed and said, "Let's go" with confidence. _Time to win!_

As they reached the court, they noticed quite a big crowd in the making and Haruhi standing on the court, obviously enjoying the attention. And as Midori stepped on the opposite court, the blondie shot her a nasty grin.

"You're on time Sayuki. What? Eager to lose?" she mocked Midori as they approached the net. Midori kept mum and chose not to answer. She turned her face away (she couldn't stand the sight of that girl's spiteful grin) and noticed Ann in the crowd with Momo and Ryoma. She caught the second – year's eye and smiled.

"Go Sayuki – sempai!" the brunette cheered. And then eyes turned to the entrance of the court for coach Ryuzaki and Tezuka had entered.

"I will referee," the coach notified the two girls as she got up on the umpire's chair. Tezuka stood in a corner of the court, distant from the noisy crowd. Haruhi's grey eyes shot to him and she threw a flirtatious look in his direction (which he took no notice of). And seeing this, Midori rolled her eyes as she made her way to her base line. _You've got to be kidding me!_ She thought incredulously. _That's got be like the fourth guy she's tried to flirt with today._

"This match determines who the captain of the girls' team will be. Good luck to both of you. Best of one - set match, Sayuki Midori to serve," the coach announced.

* * *

25 minutes later…

Where the first nine games went by, nobody knew. And now the score was a close 5 – 4, with Midori in the lead.

But it was now Haruhi's serve. She hit a strong serve in Midori's right corner, which she had a bit of trouble receiving due to its power. But she managed to return it with a twist. The ball bounced and as Haruhi got in position to send it back, it rebounded in the opposite direction.

"15 – Love," coach Ryuzaki proclaimed. Now being her serve, Midori got into position. She could feel eyes on her, especially a pair of critical ones belonging to Tezuka. She could tell he was judging her style of play, seeing if there were any flaws in her game. But instead of feeling nervous, she felt more determined. The idea of Tezuka finding a fault in her game didn't appear too pleasant in her point of view; she was his equal – she'd been told many times – and didn't like the idea of being looked down on by him. She felt degraded just by the mere thought of it.

Midori closed her eyes. _Concentrate_, she told herself and then served.

It was a fast serve and had little bounce, resulting in another lead for Midori.

"30 – Love."

Haruhi served next and to everyone's surprise, got an ace.

"15 – 30."

The ball was too fast so Midori didn't bother to run after it. She knew she wouldn't be able to reach it and therefore saw no point in wasting her energy chasing it. But now that it was her serve, she would waste no time in winning the next point. She hit another twist serve and won the point.

"40 – 15."

_One more point. Just one more point! _She told herself. She served another twist and it gave the impression of a win for Midori but Haruhi was catching up to the ball. The blondie managed to return it, though it was far so she fell to the ground on her knees while reaching for it. Her return was a high lob and noticing this, Midori smirked. She rushed forward and jumped. It really was quite a high lob and it was a good thing that Midori wasn't short or else she wouldn't have been able to get to it. Her smash landed in the opposite corner of Haruhi's court and suddenly the crowd went silent. They knew what this meant.

"Game – set! Match won by Sayuki Midori, 6 – 4," coach Ryuzaki stated. There was an instant uproar with the crowd.

"Yeah! Nice win Sayuki – sempai!" Momo cheered from the sidelines. Next to him, Ryoma smirked at her but for once didn't bother saying his famous line.

Midori smiled upon hearing the cheers. She noticed Hikari and Rukia joined by Oishi and Fuji all smiling at her.

"Congratulations!" they shouted and it was one of the many she received after that.

Midori turned to the front of the court to shake hands with Haruhi (out of requirement). Haruhi's face still held a look of shock and incredulity.

She didn't shake Midori's hand when it was offered but instead spat out, "This isn't over!! I- I was supposed to be captain of the team! Just because you won doesn't mean I'll forget it! I won't! I won't forget it!!"

And with that, she stalked off the courts followed by her cronies who looked too afraid of her anger to say anything. But Midori wasn't going to let that ruin her mood. She was surrounded by happy cheers and congratulations which she appreciated very much. After she'd been freed from the crowd, she walked over to her tennis bag to put her racket away.

"Congratulations," came a voice from behind her. Midori recognized the quiet tone at once. She turned around casually, unalarmed.

Smiling slightly, she said, "My, you're quite generous with compliments lately, Tezuka." She hadn't forgotten the praise he'd given her in the cafeteria a few weeks ago. Her comment didn't faze Tezuka in the least; his face was still stoic as ever.

"Well, compliments should be given where they're deserved… don't you think?" he replied casually.

Midori smirk lightly and sighed, "Ofcourse. Thanks nonetheless." She added the last bit quietly and then turned back around to put her racket in her bag. And as she did so, Tezuka watched her. But his mind was somewhere else, contemplating something. As Midori spun around to face him, he opened his mouth.

"You…" he hesitated, a bit unsure of how to voice what was on his mind. "You're –"

His words were unfortunately cut off by coach Ryuzaki's arrival.

"Congratulations Sayuki, a well – played match dear," the older woman said smiling as she joined the twosome.

"Arigatou sensei," Midori smiled and said politely.

"Now," the coach said, her tone changing to a more business – like one. "We have a few things to discuss seeing that you're the new captain and I'm sure you know very well that you'll have much more responsibilities." - To which she got a dutiful nod. - "Come to my office tomorrow morning; we will talk then. You too Tezuka," she said turning to him. A bit confused, the two teens simply nodded. And then with a smile the coach turned around and left the courts.

The two teens watched her go silently until Midori turned her attention to Tezuka again.

"Sorry… what was that you were saying?" she asked, a little curiosity sparking in her; after all, nothing Tezuka ever said was pointless.

The hazel – haired teen opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, hoping she'd missed that. But she didn't. "…nothing," he finally said. "Never mind."

Midori didn't believe him and so for several moments she simply stood there in confusion. Finally – after what seemed like forever – she spoke.

"Okay…" she said slowly. She wasn't going to force it out of him; it just wasn't in her nature to do something like that. So she simply murmured "Well then… see you tomorrow."

Tezuka gave his reply in a simple nod and gaze after her as she turned and eventually disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Half and hour later…

Midori stepped out of the subway station and made her way home. And through her entire journey, there'd been only one thing on her mind – blissfulness of sweet victory. Though the smile on her face was small, she was actually burning with joy inside. She'd waited more than three years to be what she is today and she wasn't going to waste her time like some of the female captains before her. She was going to make this team strong, she thought with full determination. For once she wanted Seigaku's girls' team to be in the spotlight and as captain, she was going to give her best to make it happen. And this very thought kindled her mind all the way home.

Several minutes later, as green-eyed girl stepped into her house and leaned behind the closed front door, she sighed. The small smile on her face widen considerably now that she was alone. After several more minutes in that position, she finally decided to get a move on and walked further in.

The house was quiet, like it was most of the time, and that's how Midori liked it. Her parents worked for a business and so besides weekends, they wouldn't be home until around dinner - time. This left Midori to cook dinner on the weekdays but she didn't complain. In fact, she really enjoyed it. It was the time in which she'd turn on the radio and sing to the songs while she hovered around the kitchen, trying to prepare the food. It was the one time that it was louder than usual in the Sayuki household.

Midori slowly walked upstairs to her room and when she made it, she flopped on her bed and simply laid there. She hadn't even changed from her school uniform but she didn't care; she was too happy. She couldn't wait to tell her parents the good news that evening. Slowly, Midori let all the exultant memories of that afternoon replayed themselves in her mind but suddenly there was one memory which tugged at her attention.

"_You…" he hesitated, a bit unsure of how to voice what was on his mind. "You're –"_

It was Tezuka (of course). What really was on his mind, she had no idea. Whether she wanted to know, yes, very much now that she thought about it.

_The hazel – haired teen opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it, hoping she'd missed that. But she didn't. "…nothing," he finally said. "Never mind."_

Midori sighed at that memory. She was aware that she'd never really known Tezuka that well but with every one of their (very small) conversations, he became nothing but an even bigger mystery.

"_My, you're quite generous with compliments lately, Tezuka." Her comment didn't faze Tezuka in the least; his face was still stoic as ever. _

"_Well, compliments should be given where they're deserved… don't you think?" he replied casually. _

The recall brought yet another sigh out of Midori. In a change of mood, she quickly got up and decided to get a move on with her schoolwork; it was useless to try and figure out someone like Tezuka at the moment. He was _nothing but an even bigger mystery…_

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter. And if you've taken the time to read through it, I'm sure you can spare 30 seconds more into writing a review haha. No seriously... Reviews please! ^_^**


	3. Electric Shock

**Hello everyone! I'm finally back with an update. I've been meaning to update for a while now but school got in the way. Anyways, here's chapter 3. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3 - Electric Shock

"…yes. Alright… I'll let you know soon." Coach Ryuzaki sighed and chuckled as she put down the phone.

"That Mr. Inoue," she said. "It hasn't been a day and already he wants to know more about the changes in the girls' team."

She was in her office at Seigaku, situated in her chair on the early morning, waiting for one of her students to show up. Tezuka stood behind her, leaning by the window in the little office. He made no reply to what he heard and continued to gaze outside. It wasn't a beautiful day like yesterday at all; dark clouds hung over them, showing great chances of a downpour and the strong gusts of wind made it look chillier than it actually was. It was a good thing that there was no practice today.

Coach Ryuzaki wasn't surprised by hearing no response and so she smiled and made her way towards his position by the window.

"What about you? Any opinion on the matter?" she asked, smiling.

Tezuka didn't move, but only responded this: "It's not my team, so I suppose it's not my concern."

The coach laughed quietly; this was exactly the kind of response she was expecting from him. Then, a sudden but soft knock came from the door and she called, "Come in."

Midori popped in, looking slightly dazzled. Her characteristic green eyes were wide and confused-looking, her shoulder-length black hair appeared windblown (though it looked quite good), and there was a tint of pink on her face due to the winds outside. But nonetheless, she held her usual calm appearance. She sat herself in one of the two seats across Coach Ryuzaki's desk (as indicated by her) and waited patiently as the coach dug up something from one of the drawers.

As she waited, her eyes took in everything in the little office (though she'd been in there many times before) and eventually rested on Tezuka's figure by the window, still gazing outside. However, as soon as he turned towards her, she averted her eyes elsewhere. Midori herself didn't know why she did that but it was something she was so experienced with – avoiding.

Coach Ryuzaki finally popped her head back up. "Ah, here it is," she smiled.

She has two key rings in her hand, each enclosed with three keys. She handed one to Midori and the other to Tezuka, who had came around to take the other seat across the coach's desk, next to Midori.

"There are three keys in there; one for your club rooms, one for the nurse's office, and one for my office," the sensei said. "You'll obviously need one for the clubrooms but the other two are for emergencies. Incase the nurse isn't here during practice hours and there is an injury or something that needs to be taken care of or if I'm not here and there are tournament papers you need, you can use those keys."

Tezuka and Midori sat patiently as she continued her explanation.

"It took quite some time to convince the principal to agree," she chuckled "but because you two are very responsible students, he eventually approved. I, myself have also vouched for you so please be sensible."

She didn't need to say this, she already knew they were very responsible and mature but just for the sake of it, she put it in.

"Now I should be heading off," she muttered, glancing at her watch. "I have a teacher's meeting to attend."

Taking it as a sign, both Midori and Tezuka stood up. Coach Ryuzaki headed towards the door with them and the three exited. Before the coach turned to leave, she said, "Oh…and Tezuka, please give Midori the practice schedule sheet afterwards."

Tezuka merely nodded and the three parted. Midori made her way to the school library; there was still some time before classes started so she figured she might as well pick up something from there. As she entered the library, she smiled. She loved reading and to any book-lover, the library was a heaven. She walked over to her favorite section, classic literature, and chuckled softly. She had been in that aisle so many times that she probably knew it inside and out. _I'm a bookworm,_ she sighed, smiling. _There's no denying it._

Scouring over the shelves of books, Midori finally found what she was looking and she smiled while looking over the cover. Pride and Prejudice. By Jane Austen. Midori had probably read the classic novel a hundred times, but it never got old to her, after all it was a classic. And besides, she was never able walk away from a Jane Austen novel.

Midori checked out the book and exited the place. Still on a wealth of time, she was compelled to go to class. _There's nothing else to do now… _she sighed. _Might as well._

"At least it'll be quiet," she murmured to herself as she walked into the classroom. It was relatively empty; only a few students were at their desks either studying or like Midori, getting some reading done. She began reading but before she could even get to the second page, she was disrupted. And that disruption came in the form of none other than Seigaku's genius.

"Pride and Prejudice," he read from the seat in front of her. "1813 if I'm correct?"

Midori chose not to respond; she knew Fuji was doing this to annoy her. He was a good friend but it was times like these (when she's deeply engrossed in something and he bugs her) that she gets irritated.

"So what's the count now? I'm guessing 15," Hikari chipped in, chuckling as she sat in the seat next to her green-eyed friend. The brunette was referring to the number of times Midori had read the book. Being one of her best friends, she obviously knew how much her friend loved the novel.

Midori sighed and put her book down. "Okay I give in. You guys got me to put the book down. Happy?"

Hikari laughed. "You cave easily," she smiled cheekily. "I'll have to remember that."

Midori rolled her eyes away from the brunette and to Fuji's ever smiling face.

"There's an important message for you," he said smiling.

Midori nodded for him to continue.

"You've been chosen as this year's social conveyer," he announced.

"And how do you know that?" she asked skeptically. She was never on the student council so she had reason to disbelieve.

Hikari answered her. "The teachers have chosen one this year and it's you. They were a position short and nobody signed up so they decided to just pick one."

Midori opened her mouth to reply back but Fuji beat her to it.

"Sensei is calling you. He's probably going to tell you the news now. Act surprised," he chipped the last bit in cheekily.

Midori rolled her eyes at him and made her way to the sensei's desk. "You called sensei?"

"Yes, I have some good news for you Sayuki-san," he said with a smile. "You've been chosen as-"

"As social conveyer?" she finished for him. "Yeah, I've heard."

"Fuji I'm guessing," he chuckled. "Anyways, the student council will meet today after school in room 317. You are expected to attend the meeting. Any questions?"

"Uh yes. What exactly does a social conveyer do?" If she was going to the job, she had to know what she was doing.

"As social conveyer, you're responsible for advertising the events happening at Seishun through posters, announcements, or whatever appropriate method you can think of."

"Sensei I don't mean to be rude," she said hesitantly. "But I have tennis practice starting soon and we have to begin training for the preliminaries immediately. I'm not sure if I can manage both."

"Tezuka can do it," the sensei said, which didn't exactly make Midori feel any better. "I'm sure you can too."

Midori just stood there feeling rather dampened.

"However," the sensei suggested. "If you can find a replacement, we will allow it. But in the meantime, I do recommend that you attend the meeting. Who knows, you may actually enjoy your job."

Realizing that she was stuck with the responsibility until at least after school, she merely nodded and headed back to her seat. She couldn't help but sigh. _Tezuka can do it, you can too!_ She mocked in her head.

That had not helped ease her annoyance one bit and neither did the fact that Tezuka had walked right in. Midori avoided looking at him whatsoever; it wasn't his fault that the teacher had commented on him and Midori knew that but she couldn't help it.

However, it was unavoidable to not look at him when he slipped a piece of paper onto her desk as he took his seat next to her.

Midori glanced at the paper before turning to him. "What's this?" she asked, careful to control the annoyance she was experiencing.

"Read the top," he said in his usual monotone as he took out his notebook, preparing for class.

Seishun Tennis Teams' Practice Schedule, it read. Midori immediately felt very dim and a faint shade of pink grew on her face. She mentally slapped herself for being stupid, especially in front of Tezuka.

"Oh," she managed to say, trying to pull back together her usual calm appearance. "Thanks."

After earning a curt nod from Tezuka, Midori turned to face the front where the teacher was beginning the lesson, English literature. It was one of her favorite topics but having read almost all of the novels discussed in the class, there was little reason left for her to pay any attention. Sighing, Midori settled in the seat, preparing for an uneventful class.

* * *

The rest of the day held little surprise for Midori. She spent lunch with her friends and then afternoon classes continued in their usual manner. It wasn't until the last bell that she realized she was expected somewhere.

"So you want to come over? We have ice cream. Cookies and cream, your favorite!" Rukia smiled wide in an attempt to convince her friend.

"Tempting," Midori chuckled. "But I have the student council meeting to attend remember?"

Her brunette friend gave her a sympathetic look, making Midori chuckle again. "Maybe some other time Ruki. Go catch up with Hikari or someone. You guys have fun."

"Okay," Rukia said, her voice giving away her disappointment. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

As the brunette turned to leave the classroom, Midori called her. "Get some rest," she yelled. "First day of practice tomorrow and I need you to be in top form."

Rukia turned around only to roll her eyes. But she couldn't help but smile. _She sure cares about the team_, she sighed.

Room 317, this was the place. Midori entered to find several tables lined around the room, arranged in a diplomatic style so that different parties could see everyone. Quite a few students were there, some of which she recognized as peers and kouhais. Others were representatives from different class at the school. They were all scattered around talking in groups, so she figured that the meeting had not started yet.

"Hey Sayuki," a voice called from behind her and the said girl turned to face a girl with brown eyes and dark auburn hair. Midori recognized the girl as Irime Aizawa, from her class.

**Character Intro**

**Name: **Aizawa Irime (ee-ree-may) (3rd year)

**Age: **17

**Hair: **auburn, straight, medium-length

**Eyes: **brown, wears glasses

**Hobbies: **student council, tennis

**Likes: **training, chocolate pudding

**End**

"Aizawa, you're in the student council?" Midori asked, genuinely surprised. The girl had only moved to Seishun last year and the fact that she was already on the council was unexpected.

"I'm the coordinator," Irime smiled. "You're the social conveyor right?"

"Yeah. I was kind of…put on the spot you can say," Midori replied, a grin creeping up on her face. "Um do you want to give me a better explanation as to why I'm here, because sensei wasn't exactly helpful."

Irime laughed. "Basically you have to jot down the details of whatever event we're planning and you have to let the student population of Seishun know what is happening."

Midori simply nodded.

"Don't worry," Irime said encouraging. "It's not a difficult job, much easier than managing a tennis team. Congratulations by the way."

Smiling politely, Midori thanked her.

"We're about to start the meeting," Irime said, glancing at the clock by the door. "Why don't we take our seats?"

"And where would that be?" Midori asked, her eyes scanning the room.

"Sadaharu will show you. I have to get to my seat, I'll see you after Sayuki." The girl smiled. "Oh and you can call me Irime, it's fine with me."

Midori returned the smile and then turned around to see Sadaharu. "Inui," she called. "You're on the council too?"

"I manage the finances," he replied as he took her to their seats, which were next to one another. "You're the new social conveyer. Do you want to know your chances at success with this job?"

Inui was weird to her and his data did creep her out a little. But nonetheless he was a good friend and he did come in handy when they needed to know more about their opponents, so she put up with his eerie data stuff.

Laughing, Midori agreed. "The probability that you'll manage this job as well as the tennis team successfully is 96%."

That brought another laugh from Midori. She was actually relieved; Sadaharu's data was rarely incorrect so it was a relief to know that she will manage. Though she was wondering about the other 4 percent, she brushed it aside as the meeting began.

Remembering what Irime had told her, Midori pulled out a pen and a piece of paper from her bag, prepared to jot things down. She watched as Tezuka, who had been sitting at the corner of his table opposite Midori, stood up.

"As you all know, the event we're planning right now is the Seigaku school festival. Today we're here to finalize the details of the event," he said monotonously, though to Midori, he almost sounded bored. Tezuka then turned to Irime next to him and she stood up.

"Hello everyone," the girl said in a friendly, cheerful tone. "I'm Irime Aizawa, the club coordinator and today we're just going to go over the important details about the event."

Irime pulled a sheet out from her notebook and quickly glanced at it before continuing. "So the Seigaku School Festival will be taking place two weeks from now, on Friday. The time will be from 7 pm to midnight, at which there will be fireworks. It will be held here at the campus grounds and at the back field."

Midori jotted the details down quickly and when she looked back up, she caught Tezuka's eye. He held it for maybe only a tenth of a second before curtly looking away, but it was long enough to leave Midori feeling slightly dazed. It felt like an electric shock to her, every time she met his eyes. She could feel a tint of pink starting to show on her face so she averted her look back to Irime in an attempt to refocus. _Careful to avoid those eyes,_ she thought slightly sarcastically.

"All Seigaku students and staff are welcome to the festival as well as the students' parents. Former students of Seigaku will also be invited," Irime explained as Midori continued to write. "There will be a ticket price however, which will depend on whether you're a student, staff, parent, etc. And lastly, the different booths that will be there will be managed by the prefects club so we're off the hook."

Irime finished with a smile as she got some laughs from the students, including Midori. She turned her eyes to Sadaharu and he nodded and stood up. He went over the budget, expected profits, and ticket prices of the event, the last of which Midori remembered to write down. The meeting came to an end at that and so everyone was free to go.

Collecting her bag, Midori got up and exited the room. But she couldn't help but glance at Tezuka before leaving. He collected his bag, got up, and walked out in all his stoic manner, glancing only once at Midori. And luckily she was quick to avert her eyes this time. _Don't need a second shock, _she thought sarcastically as she too left room 317.

* * *

**So what do you think? Please review! It keeps me going hehe. ^_^**


	4. Meet the Team

**Hello everyone! I'm back. ^_^ **

**Thanks SimplexSaki. I didn't get to thank you last time for pointing out my mistake. I'll keep it in mind next time.**

**To cannottellalie, English is taught in schools in Japan. And English literature is just another topic in that.**

**Okay, enjoy!**

Chapter 4 – Meet the team

It was hard to focus. It always was when your thoughts were on other things, things yet to happen. Midori knew that firsthand.

As the last bell of school rang, everyone in the class got up and handed their tests in at the front desk. Praying that she did well, Midori too got up and stood in line. Her friends Rukia and Hikari waited for her.

"You guys go ahead," she mumbled, the test still on her mind. "I'll be there soon. Gets things set up Rukia."

"Alright," Rukia obeyed and she and Hikari walked out. Today was the first day of practice, well the first day of practice with Midori as the captain. And to say she was nervous would be an understatement. There was a mixture of emotions churning through her; worry, fear, panic, pride, joy. All were jumbled inside of her. As the green-eyed girl walked out of the class and towards the tennis courts, worry filled her.

_What if they don't like me,_ she thought with unnecessary dread. She knew most of the girls on the team and knew that they were all fine with her but it was the rest of the regulars she was worried about. She hadn't received a list of names from the coach yet so she didn't know who else was a regular besides herself, Rukia, and Hikari. _And Ann-chan,_ she thought with a small smile. _At least they'll be there._

Taking a big breath in, Midori pushed open the door to the girls' club room. She walked in to see seven girls sitting on the benches, talking and laughing while getting ready for practice. But the noise stopped in her presence. That brought a smirk on Midori's face.

"I'm not Tezuka you know," she chuckled as seven pairs of eyes were on her. "I'm not going to punish you with laps for having some fun."

The girls laughed and Midori could feel the tension ease. She felt confident enough to speak to them without some kind of commanding tone. She recognized all of the faces, though some she had never talked to before. And suddenly a familiar face made her surprised.

"Irime, you're on the team too?" Midori asked, smiling. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The auburn-haired girl shrugged. "Surprise…?" she chuckled.

Midori laughed as she walked over to a bench and began getting ready for practice. When she was done, she looked around the room.

"So where are the rest?" she asked, noticing that there were only eight of them there.

Rukia piped up. "The rest, I've assigned to the training menu outside. It's only us regulars here."

"And that calls for a celebration," a voice chipped in, followed by the sound of a bubblegum pop. Midori turned to the girl, who was sitting next to Ann. She gave her an impish grin.

"Yuki Amane. Nice to meet you…buchou," the girl said mischievously.

**Character Intro**

**Name: **Amane Yuki (2nd year)

**Age: **16

**Hair: **blonde with black highlights, straight, short

**Eyes: **grey

**Hobbies:** playing video games

**Likes: **chewing gum

**End**

Midori smirked. "You seem like the rebellious type. Should I be worried or threaten you to behave or else I'll drop you off at an all girls detention centre?"

Yuki knew that her buchou was only joking so she grinned. "Nah, I'm good. I get that a lot though."

From next to her, Ann laughed and said, "Who wouldn't! You look like the poster child of disobedience!"

The girls all laughed. But Yuki rolled her eyes and turned to Midori.

"So how about it?" she asked, beaming excitedly. "A party for celebration."

"And what exactly are we celebrating?"

"For getting on the regular line-up!" Yuki said, as if that was the most obvious thing.

"That's hardly a reason to celebrate," Midori said as she sat down to tie her shoes.

"Oh come on buchou!" Yuki complained and soon Ann and the others joined in. Clearly they wanted a party and weren't settling for anything else. Midori turned to her vice-captain, Rukia, for help but she could see that she wanted a party too.

Midori sighed. "How about this?" she said, hoping to calm the girls down. "If we win the preliminaries – and I mean first place – then we'll have a party. Any place you want, my treat. Promise. So deal?"

Yuki gave her buchou a displeased look but quickly gave as she realized they might not get another deal like that.

"Alight," she agreed.

"Good," Midori smiled at her team. "Now, everyone up. We have practice to do."

The girls got up at the command and soon they're were outside with the rest of the girls training. Midori had paired them up to play against each other so she could see firsthand the talent of her team. Midori stood on the side of the courts with Hikari at her side. They watched as the two second-year girls (Ann and Yuki) played against each other.

"They're good, both of them," Hikari murmured.

"Yeah," Midori quietly replied. "I can see why Yuki came so close to making the line-up last year. But she was up against a tensai."

Hikari merely smiled at the comment meant for her. The two then walked over to the next court where Rukia was playing her doubles partner, Keiko.

**Character Intro**

**Name: **Matsuki Keiko (3rd year)

**Age: **17

**Hair: **red, wavy, medium-length

**Eyes: **amber

**Hobbies: **shopping and karaoke

**Likes: **visiting pets stores and aquariums

**End**

"Ruki and Keiko. They're our best doubles team right now," Hikari observed.

Midori nodded, agreeing. Her eyes, though, were on the next court where Irime was playing opposite Yuri, a shy and quiet 3rd year.

**Character Intro**

**Name: **Yoshiharu Yuri (3rd year)

**Age: **17

**Hair: **brown, wavy, long

**Eyes: **light brown

**Hobbies: **playing her violin

**Likes: **sweets and her kitten

**End**

Midori was quite surprised with the pair. She had no idea that Irime played tennis and she looked experienced.

"Why didn't Irime join the team last year?" she wondered out loud, not expecting Hikari's answer.

"My guess is because she came to Seigaku half-way through the year and the line-up was already chosen."

"Well what about Yuri then?" she turned to her tensai friend.

"Actually she was on the team last year," Hikari explained. "But she wasn't a regular until now."

Midori nodded. Her eyes scanned over her side of the courts and smiled. Overall, she was happy with her regulars. The girls seemed to have good skills and talent, and by watching their matches, she could tell that they all had the determination to win. That was the greatest thing Midori could've asked from them.

The rest of practice went by as Midori had hoped, peacefully. Glancing over to the boys' side, she was thankful that she didn't have to deal with problems like Kaido and Momo's fighting. She watched as Tezuka ordered them to laps and sighed. _Thank god for the girls,_ she thought. She didn't like giving out laps; it just wasn't her way of handling things. But if, under certain circumstances, it was her only option, then she would. Although she avoided ordering laps as much as she could.

* * *

As practice wrapped up, Midori walked home with her friends. Rukia and Midori chatted happily about the upcoming festival but the mood turned serious when Hikari spoke.

"You guys," she called, getting their attention. "Have you noticed Haruhi hasn't been around school lately?"

That brought the girls' conversation to a sudden silent end.

"She usually all around Seigaku-"

"Acting like she owns the place," Rukia interjected.

"Yes, but no one's seen her," Hikari continued, her voice serious. "I asked Yuri and Keiko after practice since they're in her class, but they said she wasn't here."

Rukia looked slightly nervous. "Maybe she's just sick or something."

"I don't think so," Hikari replied. "She looked fine the last time we saw her…two days ago."

The girl snuck a glance at Midori, who understood why she'd done that.

"Two days ago…when I played her," Midori said slowly.

"You don't think she's done something irrational because she lost, do you?" Hikari asked cautiously.

Midori didn't like Haruhi and she knew her friends didn't either, but Hikari had a point. What if something really had happened?

"Even if she did," Rukia said coldly, her hatred for the blond seeping in. "It's none of our business or our fault. She'll be back soon enough; it's not like she can hide forever."

"Let's hope you're right," Midori said vaguely, her mind deep in thought, trying to find some logical explanation for her girl's sudden disappearance.

* * *

**This chapter was a lot shorter than my others but oh well. As long as you liked it!**

**Please review! ^_^**


	5. So We're Stuck!

**Hello dear readers. Back! And on the new year. Happy New Year to all! Wish you all the best! As a present, here's the next chapter! Enjoy.**

Chapter 5 – So…we're stuck?!

Where the week went by, nobody knew. With the preliminaries coming up, both the boys and girls were training hard, and practice sessions had increased from after school to morning as well. Midori had been especially hard on the girls, but it was for their own good. With Irime's help, she increased the training of the regulars specifically to help them get into shape. She wanted them in top form.

Irime was a surprise to her, and one that she was happy to receive. It turned out that she was good friends with Inui and like him, was a data collector. But without the creepy stalker image. Or the lethal juices. The latter, Midori was dearly thankful for. She didn't want any of her members dropping dead on her. What answer would she give to coach Ryuzaki?

At the moment, Midori was just wrapping up from an after school practice session. The previous day, she was really hard on her team and kind of felt a little guilty for it. After all, they were giving it their best and were improving greatly too. So since it was a Friday, she cut practice a bit short and let them go as a sorry note.

Midori was just packing up her things in the club room when the girls popped in.

"You sure you don't want to come Midori?" Irime asked. The girls were apparently heading to the movies to start their weekend early.

Their buchou smiled. "No, you guys go ahead. I'm heading to the library anyways. Have fun."

She wanted to look something up for Literature class, for general reference and so she proceeded to Seishun's big library. It was quiet, not many students around. _Well, it is a Friday afternoon, _she thought. Like her friends, everyone was probably out enjoying themselves. Midori went to the section she was looking for, pulled out several books, took them to a quiet empty table in the back of the library, and set to work.

It was a while before she realized that she should be heading home. So she returned the books and walked over to the front desk. It was strangely silent, she observed. She could understand why no students were there but surely the librarian would be around, stacking books or something. But she saw no one until she reached the front door.

There was only one other person there, Tezuka.

"What's going on?" she asked him while looking around for the librarian.

"She's not there," he answered when he saw Midori walked to the librarian's office. "I've checked."

"But she can't have left. It's only…4:45 (p.m.)," Midori said as she checked her cell phone. The library usually closed at 5 o'clock so what was the deal now?

Reading her thoughts, Tezuka replied, "I think she closed early. It is Friday after all."

He walked towards the doors and pushed them. Nothing. They wouldn't budge, so he examined the lock and sighed. "It's locked from the outside."

"So we're…stuck?!" Midori said slowly, letting the idea sink in.

"Guess so," he replied calmly as ever.

Midori just stood there in shock but then quickly gathered herself as a thought came to her. "But it's Friday," she said, panic just slightly audible in her voice now. "We're going to be here the whole weekend?!"

"Calm down," he said stoically. "We won't be here for long. There's a janitor that comes in the evening. He can let us out."

Tezuka walked over to an empty table, dropped his tennis bag, and sat down. Midori watched him incredulously. _How can he just sit down? We could be stuck in this place for the whole weekend!_ She thought, though her face showed none of her previous panic. But she soon realized that there was nothing more to do but wait. They could've called someone; after all they did have their cell phones. But who could they call? Everyone was out enjoying themselves; they were the only two in the building.

Midori walked over and sat opposite Tezuka. "So what were you doing in here anyways?" she asked in an attempt to strike a conversation.

"Finishing the biology project," he replied. "And you?"

"Same," she lied quickly. She wasn't sure why though.

"Right." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "That's why you were in the Literature section."

Busted. Midori smirked in defeat. "Okay, you caught me," she said with a quiet smile. "I was just looking something up, for reference."

"Speaking of literature," she got up and walked up to the said section and after a few minutes, Tezuka followed. He leaned by the shelf frame and watched as Midori picked out a book. It looked slightly old but it was her favorite. Pride and Prejudice. The copy she checked out was at home and she wasn't done so she thought she might finish it here, as long as they were stuck.

When Tezuka spoke, it caught her by surprise. "You know, her books were first published under a pseudonym, 'A Lady'."

Midori merely looked at him with surprise. "Books written by women weren't widely accepted back then," he explained.

"Though, it wasn't a closely guarded secret either now was it?" she smirked.

"Well it was pretty obvious the book was written by a woman," he retorted calmly.

Midori smirked again. "What a surprise?" she mocked jokingly. "You read Jane Austen's?"

"Just that one," he said indicating the book in her hand. He walked back to their table and Midori followed him, the book with her.

"And your opinion?" she asked him, curious. He seemed strangely different to her; a lot more conversational. Though his face hadn't crack a bit; it was still ice cold.

He looked across the table at her, contemplated, and then gave his honest thought. "Not bad. It _did_ challenge the social etiquette of the 19th century society."

Midori couldn't help but give a quiet smile. It greatly surprised her how different Tezuka was being. _Where is this side of him coming from?_ She wondered.

As she was about to respond, the lights suddenly turned off. They looked up, startled. "It's 5 (o'clock). They probably turn off automatically," he explained.

"Great," Midori murmured in the dark, which wasn't all that bad. A little bit of light was still flooding in from the high windows so it wasn't pitch-black. Then a question popped up in her head. "What time exactly is this janitor coming?"

"Usually comes around 8 (o'clock)."

"Three hours to go," she said with sarcasm. "Wonderful."

Tezuka didn't reply and Midori didn't know what else to say so she too stayed quiet. There was a question she wanted to ask him but wasn't sure whether she should or not. But her curiosity was growing so she spoke.

"Can I ask you something?" Midori asked, unsurely herself. He looked at her to show he was listening. "Your (left) arm…" – his arm instinctively went rigid, she noticed – "I've heard before that it was…hurt," her voice was quiet, serious, as she chose her words carefully. She hoped she hadn't crossed the line by mentioning it but Tezuka looked calm so she continued.

"What…what happened?" she asked gently. Tezuka's lips had formed a thin hard line which Midori took as anger. "I'm sorry…I should've never brought it up," she mumbled hurriedly.

She'd never thought about how much pain the subject could've brought on him, but now that Midori realized it, she was regretting ever mentioning it. Though she did have to admit she was curious about the story. She wasn't there when it had happened, since it was during the boys' practice, so she didn't know it. She could've asked her friends about it but all of them had heard the story form someone else, so the accuracy of it wasn't to be trusted. And she didn't want to ask Fuji or Oishi or someone incase Tezuka found out and thought of her to be nosy. She wasn't nosy, just curious.

It was a few minutes before the silence of the dark was broken, and Midori was really surprised when her companion spoke.

"It was back in the seventh grade," he said quietly. "I joined the tennis team and was already a regular. That wasn't exactly pleasing to the sempais." Midori could hear a hint of sarcasm in his last words.

"They didn't like the idea of a first-year getting to be a regular. So…one of the sempais challenged me. I beat him with my right hand. He got angry and…hit me with his racket."

Midori winced; she couldn't imagine how much pain that would cause. "How bad was it?" she asked quietly with concern.

"At the time, it appeared to be only a bruise. But after two years… it returned."

Midori understood what he meant by 'it'. The pain. "Does…does it still hurt?"

"…No, the doctors said it's just about healed."

This was the second time that afternoon that she was at a loss for words. She couldn't even imagine how much suffering he must have gone through. But she realized why the pain had returned. Two years of training - intense training. Tezuka was hard on himself and she knew that his training regime was long and difficult. All that training must have led to the pain returning.

"You didn't deserve it," she spoke softly. "It wasn't your fault."

Tezuka turned his hazel eyes away. "That didn't matter," he said impassively, his voice quiet. "It happened anyway."

It wasn't her burden but she felt the need to whisper, "I'm sorry."

* * *

Neither of the two spoke for a long time and the light from the high windows slowly disappeared. It must have been at least a few hours now since they were stuck. _Where was this janitor?_ Midori wondered after some time and for the second time that day, it felt like Tezuka had read her thoughts.

"Come on," he said, getting up. "Let's wait by the front doors, the janitor should be coming soon."

They picked up their tennis bags, walked to the front doors, and sat down on the floor, waiting. They placed their cell phones in front of the doors, hoping that the light from them will catch the janitor's attention.

Midori turned to Tezuka next to her. "Why did you play the sempai with your right hand?" she asked, interested in his answer. And for the first time, she thought she saw a smirk on his face. But she couldn't be sure with the darkness.

"The same reason you played Nakamura (Haruhi) with your right hand," he replied unfazed.

Midori smirked. _Typical_, she thought. Midori thought that no one would notice, but he saw through her so easily. "How did you know?"

Again, she thought she saw a ghost of a smirk. But she could be sure.

"Your form gave you away," he answered and Midori nodded. He was right; being an experienced player, he could easily tell that she was left-handed. "And then there's the obvious."

Midori frowned at him in confusion. "Which is?" she asked.

"You write with your left-hand," he stated. _He would obviously know,_ she thought. _He sits next to me. And that's why he was glancing at me during the student council meeting. I was writing things down._

"Oh," she mumbled, feeling rather dim. "So much for secrecy."

"Who else knows that you're left-handed?" he asked.

"Ruki and Hikari obviously know. Fuji and Sadaharu figured it out quickly and Irime's smart. She'll figure it out soon enough too. That leaves coach Ryuzaki and now you to round off the list."

"Not very good at hiding it, are you?" he smirked and this time Midori was sure of it.

She laughed, "No, apparently not."

Her laughter died into a soft silence. But it wasn't the kind that she'd experienced with Tezuka before. The awkwardness was gone; it was a peaceful sort of silence that she actually liked. The two sat there, muted, and now the darkness had reached pitch-black intensity. The only light there came from their cell phones. They were positioned to let the light stream outside, in the hallway, so as to catch the janitor's attention. And by the time it did, it was close to 10 o'clock. Midori didn't even care why the man was two hours late; she was just happy to be let out.

"What the heck are you kids doing in there?!" the janitor asked as he unlocked the library doors.

Tezuka got up, his tennis bag on his shoulder, and gave Midori a hand up. "We were locked in," he answered as they collected their cellphones.

"The librarian closed down early," Midori added and followed Tezuka out. "Thanks for letting us out."

She gave the janitor an innocent smile, hoping that he wouldn't ask further questions. And thankfully, he didn't; he still looked shocked. They took the opportunity and exited the building as quickly as they could.

Outside, the cool night air brushed Midori's face. It was slightly windy and at that moment she hated her uniform; she was in a short skirt after all. _Ugh,_ she sighed. _Lucky guys._

Tezuka had suggested taking the subway home since it was the fastest way and so now the two stood at the station waiting for their ride home.

"Really Tezuka. I can get myself home. You don't have to go through the trouble," Midori reasoned. He was taking the same subway as her, but she knew that it wasn't the fastest route home for him. After all, he had never taken the same subway as her before.

"It's nothing," he insisted. "It's just another route to my house." _Only longer_, Midori wanted to argue but she let it drop. Even though he hadn't said it, she knew he was doing this for her. It was late and it clearly wasn't a good idea for a seventeen-year-old girl to be out alone.

As they stepped into the subway, Midori immediately stayed close to Tezuka. The compartment was quite empty; only a few passengers. But she didn't like the looks a group of guys were giving her from the other end. Midori averted her eyes from them to the door windows. Tezuka and her were standing next to the doors, even though there were plenty of empty seats, since their stop wouldn't take very long. Tezuka stood across from her, leaning on the wall, his hands in his pockets. His eyes shifted from Midori, who was still gazing out the glass window, to the guys at the back. They appeared to be high school students too; they were still in uniform like themselves.

As the subway slowed to a stop, Tezuka decided to take Midori's hand as they stepped out. She was surprised by his actions but grateful too. As she glanced back, she realized that the guys hadn't followed them, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She knew they would've surely pursued her if she wasn't with Tezuka, and she didn't want to know what that would've led to. Midori glanced at him as they exited the station. He had no idea how grateful she was towards him at that moment.

Once they were in the safety of the neighborhood streets, where there were still people walking home or out for a stroll, Tezuka slowly let go of Midori's hand. There was a strange warmth left behind on his hand (despite her cool touch), one that he actually liked. He hadn't felt that sort of sensation in a while and for a fraction of a second, he wanted to take her hand again. But he slapped the thought out of his mind as quickly as it had come.

Since this was Midori's way home, she led the way, and they reached her house first.

She turned to him and smiled. "Thanks…for everything."

"It was nothing," he replied, averting his eyes from her. His thoughts were elsewhere.

"But you took the trouble to come all the way here, so," she bowed politely to him as a thank you. "Do you live too far from here?"

"No," he answered in his usual calm voice. "Only a few blocks farther."

Midori nodded. "Alright…I'll see you tomorrow then."

"You mean Monday," he corrected her.

"…right," she chuckled at her stupid mistake as he began to walk down the street. Midori strolled to her front door, glanced back to Tezuka's slowly disappearing figure, and when she couldn't see him anymore, she let herself in.

The lights were off so shadows were cast around the house. They vanished, however, when Midori turned the lights on and sighed. "Thank god mom and dad aren't home," she murmured to herself. Dropping her tennis bag in the kitchen, she went upstairs to change.

Her parents worked for a company so they were often sent on business trips. This one was held right outside of Tokyo and lasted two days so they wouldn't be home until Sunday morning, which their daughter was very thankful for. It wasn't a very long trip so Midori had convinced them to go and after some debating, they had finally given in and let her stay alone. She was responsible – though they wouldn't agree so if they knew why she was so late today – and she'd stayed alone a few times before so she now had the house to herself.

After pulling on a t shirt and shorts, she came downstairs and ate some leftovers (she was too lazy to cook at the moment). As she ate at the table alone, her mind flashbacked to her day and she chuckled. _I'm never staying too long in the library again,_ she thought to herself. Though it hadn't been so bad with Tezuka there. He was so…different around her, she'd noticed. _Good different though._ He was more open and talked more than she was used to. Midori couldn't help but admit that she liked it nonetheless, _even if his stone-cold facade hadn't cracked a bit._

Finishing her last bit of food, she sighed. _Still…he's read Jane Austen's though… _and small laugh escaped her lips.

* * *

**So what do you guys think? **

**I gave you a present so now it's time you give one too. :P **

**Review! And enjoy the new year.**


	6. The Perks of Being a Regular

**A/N: Hello eveyone. I'm done with exams (YAY!) for another 4 months at least so I've finally gotten back to the fic. Enjoy!**

Chapter 6 – The Perks of Being a Regular

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

"Stupid alarm," a sleepy Midori muttered as she unwillingly got out of bed that Monday morning. She dragged herself out from under her pale green covers and sighed as she made her way to her bathroom. Staring at her dead-looking face, she groaned. "Mornings are just not my time of day."

She looked dead-tired, her green eyes drooping. But then again who wouldn't be after staying up until one in the morning. Midori had been up the night before trying to finish the designs for the Seigaku festival posters. She had been meaning to do it for days but never got the time until last night. All that had been on her mind the entire weekend was trying to come up with a decent line-up for her team. The preliminaries were coming up soon and so that was a responsibility that had to be taken care of.

After a quick shower – and some cold water to wake her up – the green-eyed girl had regained her usual vivacity.

"You seem...full of life," Midori's mother chuckled as the girl rushed downstairs, her hands juggling her cell phone, school bag, several papers, and posters all at once.

"So early in the morning too!" her father laughed, knowing his daughter's lazy attitude towards mornings.

"All part of the perks of being so involved in school," Midori chuckled sarcastically. She dropped all the things on the table and sighed in relief as she grabbed some food to eat. She had an appetite, she knew that. But she was an athlete and that was her excuse; she had to eat healthy after all.

Within five minutes, Midori was just about out the door, her hands once again juggling too many things. And it was a surprise to her that she hadn't managed to drop anything on her way to school. As she entered the grounds of Seigaku, her phone rang and she groaned.

"Right now is so not the time!" she muttered to no one in particular as she struggled to pull her phone out with all the things already in her hand.

"Hello," she answered rather crankily.

"You have my phone," a cool voice spoke.

"Tezuka?" She asked, surprised to hear from him. "What are you talking about? And since when do you have my number?"

As usual, he seemed unperturbed by any questions. "Check the screen name," he said.

_Tezuka Kunimitsu._

And as usual again, he was right. _But the cell phone looks like mine…_ she wondered.

"When did-"

She was cut off by his cold voice. "We must have taken the wrong ones when we left the library on Friday. They look pretty similar after all."

Midori sighed. She had too many things on her hand right now, she didn't need anymore.

"Okay, I'm at school already," she said as she walked through the halls. "I'll just return it in class then."

"Ah," he said then hung up. Midori walked up to coach Ryuzaki's office and unlocked it.

_These keys did come in handy,_ she sighed as she entered the quiet room. She knew the coach wouldn't mind, after all she had trusted her with the keys to the place. Midori placed some of the papers in her hand on coach Ryuzaki's desk. They were the potential line-ups she'd come up with over the weekend and needed the coach's opinion. This was the first time Midori had ever been given the responsibility of coming up with the line-up and so she thought the coach's opinion would help.

She then grabbed the posters and some tape and left. Since she was early and the halls were quite empty, it was the perfect time to put the posters up. She had finished the first floor quickly and then headed for the second. After ten minutes, she was already on her last one. She wanted to post it on the student bulletin wall but it was already full. The only space left was at the top where Midori knew she wouldn't be able to reach. Nonetheless, she gave it a try and reached up. It wasn't working though, and just in time, a hand reached up to pin the poster for her. Surprised, Midori turned around to face Tezuka's taller figure. A light blush slowly crept up on her as she realized just how close they were standing. _Get a hold of yourself!_ She yelled in her mind. This wasn't like her; usually Midori had much more self-control. So since when did she start blushing around Tezuka?!

Tezuka's voice cut her thoughts. "Planning on returning my phone?" he asked as they walked towards class, now that all the posters were put up.

"Right," she mumbled and pulled out his phone from her bag. As they took their seats, they exchanged their phones.

"Alright class, let's begin," their sensei announced as students scurried to their seats. "So as we've been studying various literature works for the past few days, it's time to pull deeper into the topic."

He got confused looks from his students and so he explained. "You will be reading any literature novel of your choice and writing about it. The topic you can write about is up to you, as long as it relates to the novel of course."

Midori smirked. _This is going to be too easy,_ she couldn't help but think.

And as if to drain that thought, the teacher announced that this will be a partner project. _Okay,_ Midori thought. _Still no problem._ She can work with one of her friends.

And as if to dump that thought clearly out of her head, the teacher announced that it will be a boy-girl partnership. "Once you're partnered up, come up to the front and sign up for a novel," he instructed.

Excited murmurs filled the classroom filled the classroom as everyone began partnering up. Midori looked to her friends but she knew it was pointless. Hikari and Fuji were partners, Rukia was with Oishi, and Sadaharu and Irime had partnered up too. Almost everyone else had chosen partners too. Though she didn't want to, Midori looked to her right and said, "Guess we're partners."

Even if he hadn't said it, Tezuka was actually quite grateful that he wasn't stuck with a fangirl. Sayuki was at least one girl in the school that he could stand. In fact, she wasn't so bad to be around.

As they signed themselves up at the front, Midori could feel eyes on them. Her friends were probably giving confused glances and others probably looked shocked. She didn't even want to think of what kind of looks Tezuka's fangirls were giving. She glanced at Tezuka as he wrote his name next to hers. He seemed calm as usual. _Is there anything that doesn't faze him_?! She couldn't help but wonder.

"What novel?" he asked her as they glanced over a list of suggestions at the sensei's desk.

"I don't know, I've read most of the ones here," she said going over the list. "Which one are you most familiar with?"

"Your favorite."

Midori smirked. "Pride and Prejudice it is then," she said as they signed up for the novel.

* * *

Four days later…

Midori stood outside with coach Ryuzaki as they went over the line-up Midori had prepared. "This could work Sayuki. Great job," the coach smiled. "How about we give it a try? Round up the girls and have practice matches with the boys."

Midori nodded as the coach walked off and did as she was told. "Listen up," she said once the regulars of both teams had gathered up. "We're going to have some co-ed practice matches. First off, Ann-chan vs. Momo on court A. Yuki vs. Kaido on court B, and let's see… Rukia and Keiko vs. Oishi and Eiji on court C. We'll alternate after."

Everyone took their position and began the matches. Irime and Sadaharu already had their notebooks out, prepared to collect data. As Midori stood watching over the matches, she mentally took note of what needed to be improved. "Is everything going alright?" Tezuka asked as he walked up next to her.

"Yeah," Midori answered nonchalantly, then smirked. "Your boys are winning at the moment…but they seem to be bringing the best out of my team."

"The doubles seem to be doing fine," he commented.

Midori nodded. "Yeah, it's the second years that could use some improvement," she observed. From what she could see, Yuki was fast but got tired easily and Ann-chan needed to adjust her backhand strokes. Momo had picked up on that and was smirking with the knowledge of one of her weaknesses. Midori couldn't help but smirk as she realized that he was hitting exactly the shots Ann hated just to annoy her.

"What's wrong Ann-chan?" he mocked playfully as he returned her shot.

"Shut up Momo," she laughed. He knew her weakness with backhand strokes, she knew that.

Meanwhile on court B, Yuki didn't seem too good. She was up 4 games to 3 but was losing energy quickly. "Just my luck," she muttered as she barely managed to return Kaido's snake. "Stamina is my weak point and buchou puts me against him!"

She glared at Kaido as he caught up to her. Now they were even. _I'm not losing!_ She thought. _The next games are mine!_

And to dampen that thought, Midori announced, "That's enough. Time to switch," she looked at regulars on the courts and said, "Do 20 laps then head over to Sadaharu and Irime. They have individual practices for you."

Yuki looked over to Ann and the girls sighed. "The perks of being a regular huh?" Ann giggled to lighten the mood.

Midori watched as they started their laps and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ryoma trying to sneak away. "Oh and where do you think you're going?" she smirked as she dragged the shorter boy by the back of his collar. "Trying to sneak out of practice?"

Ryoma shrugged as he gave in. "It was worth a shot," he said as he adjusted his cap.

"Funny," Midori said sarcastically, smirking. "But practice isn't over yet. Go over to Inui and Irime, they have more training for you to do."

The cocky kid shot her a grumpy look before doing as he was told. Midori grinned. "You should be thankful… Ryoma-chan. I'm saving you from laps by not telling your buchou." Ryoma shot her grumpy look before walking away. Midori laughed; sometimes the kid was just too adorable.

* * *

After another hour of more grueling practice, the girls finally crashed in their clubroom.

"Ugh!! Buchou you're evil," Yuki complained as she laid down on one of the benches in the room. "You HAD to pair me up with that stupid snake idiot."

Midori chuckled. "It was for your own good Yuki. It'll help you improve your stamina."

Irime nodded as she sat next to the spunky girl. "According to the data I collected today," she said adjusting her cute glasses. "You should practice tennis after running or jogging. It will help your endurance."

Yuki groaned at the thought of more practice. Midori chuckled then turned her attention to the rest of the girls. "Good job today you guys. Our doubles teams" - she glanced at Rukia, Keiko, Yuriko, and Irime – "are great. If we keep this up, we can definitely win the preliminaries."

"You owe a party if we win buchou," Ann added cheekily. "Don't forget."

"I didn't," Midori chuckled. "But for now, get some rest. Tonight is the festival so let's just enjoy ourselves."

Upon hearing about the festival, the girls broke into noisy, excited chatter. "Tonight is going to be awesome!" Rukia smiled excitedly. "Can't wait."

Hikari looked at Midori and the girls broke into laughter. "Yeah, you're just saying that because you're going with Oishi."

Rukia giggled. "Okay," she admitted. "So I am."

Midori chuckled. Everyone seemed so excited and happy, it made her smile. Tonight was going to be good, she could feel it. And that positivity ran through her for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ^_^**

**The next one is the festival so stay tuned. I promise it'll be up in two days max. **

**In the meantime, REVIEW! ^^**


	7. Seigaku School Festival

**A/N: Hello! Inspiration's back and I don't know when it'll return so I thought I'd post this up before I'm swamped with new semester work. Anyways, enough of me. Enjoy! ^_^**

Chapter 7 – Seigaku School Festival

It was 8 pm that Friday evening and the sun was almost setting. But Midori – and many others from Seigaku – were preparing for the school's festival. In her room, Midori stood in front of the mirror, her green eyes scrutinizing her outfit for the night. She had changed into a strapped babydoll tank and cute denim shorts. Glancing out her window, she contemplated. _But it is a really warm night…_

"Okay, no jacket then," she decided and grabbed her little bag and new digital camera and sprinted downstairs.

"Planning on taking pictures?" her mother smiled as she noticed the camera in Midori's hand. It was a gift to Midori for her birthday. In the last few years or so, she had started loving photography. Though she was just an amateur, her photographs were actually quite good. They had an effortless, natural feel to them, nothing like the fancy photographs taken professionally.

Midori grinned and snapped a quick one of her parents. "First one of you guys."

As the trio headed out, Midori asked, "Can I drive?"

Her parents looked at each other and that was a sign enough that it was a no. "Oh come on," she argued. "I've taken lessons and I'm only a few months away from getting my license. And besides, the school isn't too far from here. Plus, you guys know how safe I drive, and –"

"Alright, alright," her dad gave in and tossed her the keys. "But only this one time."

Midori grinned and hopped in the driver's seat and they drove to the school. Upon getting there, they parked and headed to the front gates to pay for their tickets.

"So," her mother said as she skimmed through the little map provided at the entrance. "Where to first?"

Something caught her husband's eye on the map. "How about that showcase collections? It has the photos of the previous classes of Seishun. Let's find me back in my teenage years."

Midori's father had gone to Seigaku himself when he was younger. He had even known coach Ryuzaki back in the time when she was just an assistant teacher and new to the school. Just as they were about to head into the main building of the school, a yell came from behind them.

"Buchou!" Yuki called. She was joined with Ann, Ryoma, Momo, Hikari, and others from the team. They were waving for her to join them. Midori looked at her parents but they smiled.

"Go on dear, I know my way around this school," her dad grinned.

"Remember to meet us at the entrance after the midnight fireworks," her mother added.

Midori nodded and headed toward her friends. However, she stopped abruptly and pulled out her camera. Her friends, who were busy arguing about which booths to visit, didn't even notice as she snapped a few pictures of them. She smiled as she previewed them. _They look the best when no one is looking, _she thought, smirking to herself.

She walked over to the quarrelling group and they led the way to the many booths they wanted to visit. Midori didn't mind where they were dragging her as long as they were all enjoying themselves. As they all played games, competed for prizes and contests, Midori took as many pictures as she could; they were for a very special collection after all.

In her house, there was an extra room that was always kept empty. So when she'd developed a liking for photography, her parents had suggested using the empty room as her studio. But she never liked taking photos in a studio since she found it too contained so she found another use for the room. She printed the photos she liked in different sizes and put them up on the walls like a mosaic. Having filled one entire wall already, Midori had started on another one and hence the reason she was taking many pictures.

The group passed by a booth that Sadaharu and Irime had set up and since it involved the data collectors, there was bound to be some Inui Juice.

"What is this all about?" Midori asked as she approached them.

Irime beamed. "Care to know how many shots of Inui Juice you can handle?"

Midori sweatdropped. "I'll pass, thanks." She looked around the group of people there and noticed that Fuji seemed to be holding the record at the moment (being one of the few to have conquered the deathly drink).

"Anyone dare to challenge the current record-holder Fuji?" Irime shouted to spectators. From next to Midori, Hikari raised her hand. She smirked and walked forward to take a seat next to Fuji.

Fuji smirked. "Sixteen shots," he said as he passed her the first one. "Sure you can manage?"

"Don't bother provoking," she smirked, taking the drink. "I'm already here."

Hikari seemed to be the other person who could handle the vile drink with a smile. People gathered around the booth, excitedly counting the number of shots Hikari and Fuji took, and Sadaharu and Irime had their notebooks out, scribbling in data.

Midori laughed and took a few pictures before walking off to another nearby booth where Ryoma and Momo were having a burger-eating contest. "Ugh," she said in disgust. The boys were chewing down like pigs.

Yuki and Ann, who were cheering for the boys, said, "The prize is an all-you-can-eat pass for the restaurant."

But Midori wondered, _so they're eating to be able to eat more?!_ She rolled her eyes, she'll never get certain people. Pulling out her camera, she snapped some photos of the boys stuffing their faces. She laughed as she realized that she was getting some of the best photos ever. They all had a happy, enjoyable feeling about them and Midori loved that. However, after the boys had puked, it wasn't so pretty. Ryoma and Momo had their heads dunked in trashcans after the contest, and after that, Midori had banned them from going to any more booths that involved eating contests.

* * *

After a while, Midori had caught up with her parents and they walked over to the food area to get something to eat. They purchased sushi from the Kawamura Sushi stall that Taka and his family were handling and walked over to one of the tables. Midori listened as her parents filled her in about their share of the night and smiled as she realized that they had enjoyed themselves. She accompanied them for some time after eating but eventually walked around alone herself.

She came across booth that was selling some jewelry. There weren't any customers there at the moment, so Midori walked up to have a look. There were necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and such but nothing caught her attention like one necklace did. It was a circular silver pendant, in the shape of a flat ring, and was attached to a black cord. But that wasn't what had attracted Midori; there were words engraved on the ring.

"Hope, Unity, and Strength," she murmured aloud.

"Beautiful isn't it?" the elderly woman across the counter asked, breaking Midori from her amazement.

"Yeah," she agreed and on impulse, she asked, "How much is it?"

The woman told her the price and Midori dug in her little bag for the money. It was within her budget and she loved the necklace so much that she had to buy it. When she paid for it, the woman smiled. "Give it someone special."

Midori smiled back before stowing the little package in her bag and walking off. What the woman had said was still on her mind. She didn't have anyone special like that, not yet at least. But someday, someone will need that kind of hope, strength, and unity_…and that's when I'll give the necklace away,_ she thought, a smile easily coming to her lips.

She spent over an hour walking around by herself, taking pictures of her friends when she saw them. But it was nearing 12 o'clock, and that meant the midnight fireworks were going to happen. Everyone had started heading to the back field where they were being held but Midori didn't want to be caught in that crowd so she headed to the school roof where she would get a perfect, clear view of it all.

As Midori pushed open the door, she realized that there was already someone there. The tall figure turned around as he heard the door shut.

"Tezuka?" she said, surprised. "Sorry, I didn't know anyone was up here. Hope you don't mind sharing the roof for a bit."

Midori smiled and walked forward. _He looks cute,_ she thought glancing at him in his t-shirt, jeans, and light jacket. She pulled out her camera and dropped her bag in a corner. She adjusted the shots before taking some photos of the view from there. Everyone gathered in the backfield looked like a concert, it was great photography material for her.

Tezuka leaned on the railing and watched as the green-eyed girl took more pictures. When she turned around, she caught him in the act.

"What?" she asked, smiling.

"Photography? I thought it was Fuji's hobby," he said.

Midori smirked. "For your information, I was the one who inspired him," she said matter-of-factly. "But don't tell him that, he'll deny it."

Tezuka couldn't help but smirk at her comment and that caught her attention. "You know," she said as she prepared to take another photo of the starlit sky. "That smirk can sometimes make you look a tiny bit arrogant."

Tezuka knew she was only joking but took the bait nonetheless. "Confidence can be mistaken for arrogance," he countered. "You, out of all people, should know that well."

Midori turned to give him a fake shocked look. "What exactly are you implying?" she asked, smiling.

"How many times have you read Pride and Prejudice?" he countered again.

Midori's smile grew. "Fitzwilliam Darcy. I suppose you're referring to him."

"His confidence was mistaken countless times for arrogance, am I wrong?"

"No, but the difference is that he really was arrogant…at first at least."

"His arrogance was much less than Elizabeth's prejudice though," he smirked, now fuelling Midori to argue fully. But as she opened her mouth to retort, something caught her attention. He was smirking… and there she was with a camera! He was looking elsewhere so what was she waiting for?! She snapped a photo quick and as soon as Tezuka noticed (because of the flash) she turned around as if nothing happened.

He walked over to where she was taking more shots. "How about letting me see that photo?"

"How about…no," she teased. He glared at her fixedly and she copied, and impulsively she took another photo of him. "You know," she said previewing the photo. "You're actually very photogenic… even if you refuse to smile in any of them."

"I would still like you to delete them."

"I'm sure you would," she teased.

"Are you going to delete them yourself or am I going to have to do it?"

Midori laughed, already toying with the camera. "Hm," she said sarcastically. "I want to see you try actually."

"Sure about that?" he smirked, stepping closer to her so that she was stuck between him and the roof railing. "Cause I can and trust me, I won't think twice."

"You wouldn't dare," she challenged but as soon as she said that, he stepped even closer and she could almost feel his breathing.

"Still sure?" he smirked, knowing that he was winning. Midori stood dazed and slightly blushing, trying to hold her ground but she knew she was losing.

"Fine," she said, admitting defeat. She deleted the photo and showed him. "There. Happy?"

"Just about," he smirked and she couldn't resist a small smile herself. Then the noise of the fireworks caught their attention. Midori and Tezuka turned and leaned on the railing as they watched the night sky fill with bright colors. Midori finally stowed away her camera; she just wanted to enjoy this moment. Though she would've never guessed that she would be doing it in the company of Tezuka out of all people.

"You know I've read somewhere that it only takes four muscles to smile," she said, grinning herself. "For an athlete like you, that should be nothing."

And that remark brought the smirk on Tezuka's face to grow into a full on smile. Midori laughed as she realized that. "See, it's not so hard," she joked. As her laughter died out softly, the two stood there side by side watching the fireworks. They didn't budge even after the show was done.

"The preliminaries are starting soon," she commented vaguely, sounding deep in thought.

Tezuka turned his look away from her towards the sky. "Don't let your guard down."

Midori smiled lightly and sighed. "I'm feeling good about this year, Tezuka. This is Seigaku's year."

Tezuka stood amazed by this girl. Behind the usual calm and collected appearance of the other model student of Seigaku, was a vivacious, spirited person he never thought would exist. He then smirked in the irony of that; he too, was finding a side of himself that he hadn't let out in a while. And it always happened to be in the company of Sayuki.

Suddenly, the sound of Midori's phone cut his thoughts. She pulled it out and answered it. "Hello? Yeah… alright," she said and flipped it closed. She turned to pick up her little bag and smiled at Tezuka. "I have to go… parents," she explained.

Tezuka nodded, slightly unwillingly (though he wasn't sure why) and watched as she made her way to the exit door. She pulled it open and smiled before she left. Within a few seconds, she was already downstairs and mingled in the crowd. Tezuka recognized her easily and watched her until she stopped all of a sudden. Midori pulled out her cell phone, punched in something, and looked up at him. And just in time, his phone beeped. Tezuka pulled it out to read her message.

_About Mr. Darcy's pride and Elizabeth's (much less) prejudice… I'm not done with it yet. Save the debate for the project. Oh, and it only takes four muscles. :)_

He looked down at her to smirk and in turn, she laughed before scurrying through the crowd towards the entrance gates. Tezuka watched her figure blend and slowly disappear into the crowd, a small smile playing at his lips.

**

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**I honestly have no idea how many muscles it takes to smile. Anyone got an idea? haha.**

**Anyways, I've kept my promise. This chapter has been up in two days max.**

**So give me a treat and review! ^_^**


	8. Dinner Invites

**Hello everyone! The story is finally taking a roll. Chapter 8 finally! Haha, anyways. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8 – Dinner Invites

It had been a few days since the much-enjoyed Seigaku school festival and things were finally settling down again. But for the tennis teams, things were actually heating up. Preliminaries were just around the corner and anxiety was mixed in with the excitement. Coach Ryuzaki was working them like a military officer and both captains weren't being any easier either.

At the moment, the teams were just wrapping up from another grueling after school practice. After making sure that all the girls had left and the equipment was put away properly, Midori had locked the clubroom and made her way out. As she passed by the boys' clubroom, Tezuka suddenly stepped out.

"Finishing up?" she smirked.

"Business like usual," he sighed and smirked slightly at her.

As the two strolled towards the gates of Seigaku, Midori asked, "So about that Literature assignment…"

"We should get started," he replied.

Midori smiled, obviously pleased with that. "Alright. How about tomorrow at lunch then?"

Tezuka agreed and with quick goodbyes, the two parted ways. Walking home alone now, Midori wandered into her own thoughts and they landed her right to Tezuka. She sighed; it seemed lately her mind always found way to him. Though she wouldn't be able to deny that she didn't like it and that though made her smirk.

* * *

Lunch time the next day came around as usual. After finishing lunch quickly with her friends in the cafeteria, Midori headed up to the school roof out of habit. She had her copy of Pride and Prejudice in hand and was on the last chapter when the door opened and in stepped Tezuka. He smirked as he saw her sitting on the ground by the wall, legs stretched out, and (of course) the book in hand. He couldn't help but notice that it was the side of the roof where they were standing by only a few nights ago.

As she heard the door shut, Midori lowered her book and smiled at Tezuka. "Well look who made?" she joked sarcastically. "How'd you know I was up here?"

"Subconscious guess," he replied half as sarcastically. He sat himself down next to her and sighed. "So where do we start?"

"Well," she said pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. "We need to come up with a topic to write about in the first place."

"We could always write about our 'debate' on Mr. Darcy's pride - and I quote – 'Elizabeth's much less prejudice'," he mocked her.

Midori rolled her eyes. "Normally, I would be offended by your sarcasm towards my favorite character but… it's not a bad idea," she said, considering the suggestion. The two spent the rest of lunch arguing (in a civilized manner) about the novel's hero and heroine. They even managed to write the ideas down so that they could write their essay. As the hour was coming to an end, Midori and Tezuka got up and headed to class.

"We're a better pair then I thought, once you learn to get past your daily dose of sarcasm that is," he mocked her playfully.

Midori gave Tezuka a fake shocked look. "And look who's talking?" She laughed and then came back to business. "I would say we finish this essay tonight and be done with. You?"

"Library after school then? Though this time we tell the librarian first," he smirked.

Midori chuckled. "Of course, the possibility of an all-nighter? And with you?! I don't think I can handle that."

"There you go with the sarcasm again," he smirked as they walked into class together.

The final bell eventually rang – to everyone's relief – and students poured into the hallways, chatting excitedly with their friends. Midori walked towards the library with Tezuka and she was keen to notice the glares she was getting from some of his fangirls. Clearly it wasn't safe to be in the company of Tezuka when his fangirls were in close proximity. Midori knew she would've probably been threatened by now; the only thing preventing them was the fact that she was a captain. She was respected and she had a plenty back-up if she needed it. _Wow? Who ever thought the social hierarchy would be a life saver?_ She smirked at the thought.

Tezuka's cool voice brought her out of her trance. "Your phone's ringing," he pointed out.

"Oh," Midori said feeling slightly dim. She pulled it out and answered and just as they were about to enter the library, she flipped it closed and turned to Tezuka and sighed in slight disappointment. "I think I need a rain check on this from you. My parents called, I have to get home early. We're visiting some family friend this evening I guess."

Tezuka didn't want to acknowledge the coincidence of the moment.

"It's alright. Rain check tomorrow then," he smirked.

Midori gave an apologetic smile before heading out of the school.

As she walked into her house twenty or so minutes later, Midori dropped her bag on the kitchen table and grabbed something to eat from the fridge. Her parents walked in and smiled.

"You guys are home early today," their daughter took notice. "So what's the occasion?"

Her mother smiled. "Well at your school's festival, your father met one of his old classmates. They went to Seigaku together it seemed."

"And they've invited us to dinner tonight at their place," her father added.

The thought of having to sit with a bunch of adults as they catch up on their old school days didn't quite seem so appealing to Midori. "Uh…I don't know dad. I have some homework to finish and-"

She was clearly trying to find a way out of this, her mother knew. "Honey, it's rude not to come when they've invited the whole family. And besides, they have a son who is your age as well. He goes to Seigaku too."

Her parents were looking at her expectantly. "Fine," she reluctantly agreed and her folks smiled, pleased.

"Great," her mother chirped. "We're going around seven so finish your homework quickly tonight. Oh and wear something nice dear."

Midori sighed in defeat. Being the good obedient daughter she was, there was no way she could've said no to her parents. And so she was expected to go whether she liked it or not. _Great…_

_

* * *

  
_

After a few hours of homework, Midori had decided that it was finally time to get ready. Her mother had told her to wear something nice, so Midori went through her closet to find something that fit the expectation. She had to keep in mind that parents were going to be there, and not just hers.

"Guess that means no party clothes," Midori sighed and shelved back a cute red halter top. After rummaging through her closet for another fifteen minutes, she finally found something suitable for the occasion. She had pulled on a dark pair of jeans, a purple top, and a nice pair of wedged sandals.

Midori observed herself in the mirror. "Hmm, cute and appropriate," she thought out loud. As she walked downstairs, her mother scrutinized her as well.

"Good," she smiled and approved. As they got all got in the car and drove to… wherever they were going, Midori prepared herself for boredom for the rest of the night. She didn't know whose family this was exactly, her parents were probably going to be busy, and that left her to talk to probably the only other kid there – their son. _Great…_ she sighed.

The drive to their destination wasn't too long so eventually the car came to a stop. Midori, with her parents, stepped out to be greeted by a couple who looked around her own parents' age. As the adults greeted each other, Midori gazed behind to the house. It was large, definitely larger than theirs. And it looked very modern and westernized but something about the place brought the feeling of traditional Japanese homes. Midori couldn't quite place what though. There was a large backyard behind the home and a beautiful walkway curved around to the front of the property. The place looked neat and absolutely beautiful and all Midori could do was gape.

But the familiar sight of brown hair awakened her from her trance. Her jaw dropped slightly from shock as she realized who it was. Tezuka. He was approaching their little group and as he saw Midori, he registered the slightest hint of surprise too. He came to stand slightly afar from the chatty adults, as did Midori. Catching each other's eyes, they both smirked at the coincidence of the moment.

"Come on dear," her mother's voice caused her to break the eye contact. Everyone seemed to be heading towards what looked to be a patio in the back garden. Letting the adults get ahead, Midori fell behind with Tezuka at her side.

"Well would you look at this?" she joked sarcastically.

Tezuka smirked as they walked. "Yeah, crazy twist of fate huh?" he replied with equal irony.

As they made their way to the patio table, Midori took in the size of the garden. It was pretty big but the grass was cut neatly and the place looked organized. _Well it is the Tezuka house… _Midori couldn't help but smirk. Midori took her seat opposite Tezuka and the adults continued to chat on excitedly, their fathers the most. They were friends back in high school so naturally they began a walk down memory lane, laughing at moments nobody else knew about.

Their mothers were becoming acquaintances quickly too, talking about…whatever adults talked about. So that left Midori and Tezuka to sit quietly and occasionally smirk at their parents' liveliness and topic of conversation. It surprised Midori that Tezuka's parents smiled and laughed and showed emotions like normal people. _What happened to him then?!_ She couldn't help but wonder as she glanced at the hazel-eyed boy.

After what seemed like an hour, Midori got up and excused herself to use the bathroom.

"Upstairs, third door on the left," Tezuka quietly gave her the directions as she passed him. She smirked and mouthed the word "thanks."

The house was equally beautiful inside, Midori noted as she climbed upstairs. Again she had felt the place was westernized but with a hint of traditional Japan. She smiled at the family pictures that hung in the hall upstairs. Most had just three people, Tezuka and his parents, but occasionally there were a few with - who appeared to be - Tezuka's grandfather, she figured.

Midori smiled as she saw a picture of Tezuka as a child. She guessed that he was around four years old in the photo. The little hazel-eyed boy was grinning widely as he held a tennis ball up in the picture. He looked so happy and that made Midori smile too; she would love to take pictures of children. They had such innocence that it would look absolutely beautiful on photos.

After using the bathroom, Midori walked downstairs to find her mother and Tezuka's mother in the kitchen preparing the food. Her mother noticed her and called. "Midori, come here honey."

As she joined the two older women by the counter, Tezuka's mother spoke to her for the first time. "Midori?" she smiled. "Beautiful name to go with a beautiful girl."

Naturally Midori blushed and thanked her for - what she thought to be - a too generous compliment. "I'm Ayana by the way," she smiled warmly. "So do you know Kunimitsu?"

Midori nodded. _Who doesn't?! _"Yeah, we're in the same class actually," she said as they brought the food outside to the men. They set the table and the chatter continued as before but this time with food. Ayana had turned to Midori and the two made pleasant small talk. But Midori couldn't help but notice that while she was talking to her, Tezuka kept glancing at them. He was afraid his mother may say something to embarrass him in front of Midori. But Midori found his mother friendly and warm and naturally liked her.

* * *

After having the best Kasutera cake she'd ever tasted for dessert, Midori, being the polite girl that she was, helped take the dishes in. Tezuka followed her in the kitchen with some more. As they set them in the sink, Midori turned around and sighed. "I think we've had enough of our parents for one night," she chuckled. "So want to show me some more photos?"

"Of?" he asked as he leaned on the counter.

"Of you smiling," she teased. "I saw the pictures; you smiled when you were younger. What now?"

"If this was my own house, those pictures would most definitely not be up there. But since it's not, I'm required to stare at it in misery every time I walk out my room," he smirked when he heard Midori's laughter. It was a beautiful sound in the stillness of the house.

Midori smiled at him and when she turned, something caught her eye in one of the other rooms. "A piano?"

Tezuka led the way to the room. It was smaller than the other rooms in the large house but there was tranquility in it. In one side of the room, a piano was placed. Baby grand and shiny black. As Tezuka stood leaning on one side of the piano, Midori took the liberty to sit in the stool. The piano was so beautiful, like everything else in the house, that she was afraid to touch it. She gently laid her fingers on – what she thought to be – the starting keys.

"You don't play do you?" Tezuka asked, glancing at her fingers.

"Why would you assume that?" she smirked, challenging him even though he was right.

"You're starting at the wrong keys," he said. He took her fingers on the piano and adjusted them to different keys. Immediately Midori's heart pace quickened; his touch had that affect on her and she tried her best to avoid blushing.

"Okay, you got me," she said after gaining composure. She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "My mom used to send me to piano lessons when I was in junior high. But I could never get it," she laughed. "I used to skip the lessons and go to tennis practice instead."

He couldn't help but smile either and the two just sat there in peaceful silence until Midori broke it. "So what about you?" she asked. "You play?"

"Used to," was his vague reply.

"'Used to?'" she repeated and smiled. "How elusive of you. Care to elaborate?"

Tezuka smirked and considered. "My grandfather taught me to play. He past away a few years back. Haven't played since then," he explained quietly, not quite meeting her eyes.

Midori sat, taken aback by the fact that he shared something so personal with her. So it was definitely instinct that took over when she got up and wrapped her arms around him for a hug. Tezuka stood, not quite sure what to do. He would've never imagined this from Sayuki out of all people, so composed and calm. But he couldn't resist the urge to wrap his arms around either.

It was maybe a minute, an hour, an eternity before they pulled apart. "I'm sorry…for you're loss," Midori murmured, still standing close to him.

Tezuka almost smiled. "Life goes on right?" he said, lightening the mood.

"Right," Midori agreed smiling. "But I consider myself lucky. I've never lost someone close; I've never experienced real pain or hurt like you. There's no way I can even come close to relating."

"Let's hope you never have to," he said. Tezuka couldn't imagine seeing her through what he's been. He wouldn't be able to see her in pain; she had that effect on him.

Midori smiled at him and in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, she moved over to the wall for a look at some more family pictures. There was a framed photo of a much younger Tezuka with his grandfather, laughing. And the laughter caught in the photo brought a smile to Midori's face.

"Laughing takes a lot more muscles than smiling of course, but it's no big deal for an athlete right?" she teased. As she turned around though, she was caught by surprise when she found Tezuka standing right behind her. Midori's breath caught in her throat; she could feel his breath on her neck.

Tezuka smirked at her. "Scared enough to stop with the mocking yet?"

So this is what it was about? Midori almost snorted. "Yeah right," she lied, rolling her eyes and pushing him away playfully. And to her surprise, that got a slight chuckle out of Tezuka. "Hmm," she observed in a mock doctor look. "Not exactly a full on laugh but at least we're making progress."

"Of course," Tezuka replied with sarcasm. "Come on."

He pulled her out to the back garden where the parents were still enjoying desserts. As they headed to the gates to leave, Tezuka's mother called.

"Where are you kids heading?" she asked.

"For a walk," Tezuka said casually. Midori was unsure of what to say, or if to say anything at all. But nonetheless she added, "We'll be back soon."

Once they were safely away from all parental eyes, Midori chuckled. "What was that all about?"

"I couldn't bear to be in the presence of another 'laughing' photo," he replied with sarcasm. It was an excuse, Midori knew that. But why he wanted to spend time alone with her surprised her.

"But those 'laughing' photos are the only evidence of you showing remotely any emotion," she teased him as they turned a corner on the sidewalk.

"I thought we were past the teasing?" he asked. Smirking, he added, "'Cause if we're not then I'm sure I can put a stop to it."

Midori stopped in her tracks. "Hmm, suddenly I'm not feeling so safe in your company," she said, threatening to turn around and walk right back to Tezuka's house.

Tezuka chuckled for the second time that night. "I'm joking," he laughed as he caught her hand and pulled her back next to him. For a moment's hesitation, he didn't want to release her hand but did reluctantly.

"Wow," Midori replied sarcastically. "Never thought I'd hear 'I'm joking' from you out of all people."

"I have my moments," he smirked.

"So," Midori said as they crossed the street, walking by sushi restaurants, convenience stores, and little shops. "How's your arm?"

It was just like the last time she brought it up in the library; his arm stiffened slightly at its mention. And it didn't miss Midori's eye. _It really has him afraid,_ she thought. _Afraid of the pain._

"It's healed completely," he replied casually.

Midori smiled, carefully not showing any of her worry. "Good to hear," she said. "Preliminaries are starting soon; your team might need you."

Tezuka smirked as they turned a corner. "I doubt that," he answered despite himself.

"Arrogant," Midori rolled her eyes and hit his arm playfully.

"No, just confidence," he replied, knowing that it would annoy her.

Midori glared at him and sighed exasperatedly. "Tonight has been good so far. Let's try to keep it that way. We can argue about Elizabeth and Darcy some other time."

Her annoyance fuelled Tezuka's laughter and soon Midori realized she couldn't keep herself from cracking up either. "I wish I had a camera," she said through chuckles.

"Tonight has been good so far. Let's try to keep it that way," he mocked her and she laughed.

"Fair enough," she smiled. They were now heading back to Tezuka's house, enjoying each other's company in private. But little did they know that it wasn't so private anymore. From far across the street, someone had caught their little scene and that someone was none other than a blue-eyed, brown-haired boy. Fuji Shusuke.

Fuji had just come out of a sushi restaurant with some food when he'd noticed someone familiar across the road. Yup, there was no mistaking that tuft of brown hair and tall figure. Definitely Tezuka. Normally, Fuji would've called out to him from across the street but suddenly he spotted someone next to him. _A girl? _Fuji crept along the sidewalk until he got a better view. _Sayuki?!_

Fuji smirked. "Well," he muttered in a low voice. "What do we have here?" He immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed Hikari. "Hikari?" He said before she could. "You won't believe what I'm seeing." Fuji smirked; his spying skills were definitely in full gear now.

* * *

Once Midori and Tezuka returned to his house, they found their parents getting up from the patio table. Everyone was heading out to the car again and the two teens let the parents pass ahead, slowly bringing up the rear of the group.

"Tonight was fun," Midori chuckled. "Though it would've been better with a camera."

Tezuka glared at her and she couldn't help but laugh again.

"Your parents are really nice… and they seem to be able to show emotion."

Another glare.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt for you to try it more often either."

Glaring continues.

"I mean Darcy's cold, brooding look is attractive," she continued to tease him. "But I think a smile is more."

And Midori could no longer hold it in. She burst into laughter and Tezuka's glare diminished a little. "Yeah, laugh at my expense."

"Midori," her mother called, getting in the car. The said girl turned around to glance at her then turned back to Tezuka.

"Just a hint. Smile more; it's healthy for you too," she said beaming herself. She then turned and headed to the car, smiling and politely thanking his parents on the way. And Tezuka watched as the car pulled out of the driveway and drove off.

"So… Midori-chan," Ayana said to her son once they all headed inside. "Seems like a nice girl."

"Ah," was all Tezuka said.

"You seem good friends with her," Ayana continued with the suppositions.

"We are," Tezuka replied. He was good friends with Sayuki now… but was that all? Just good friends? He wasn't sure he wanted to answer that.

As he was about to head upstairs to his room, he heard his mother's voice from the bottom of the stairs. "By the way, you two look good together," she giggled, enjoying the slight blush that crept on her son's face.

"Mother." He glared but his mother wasn't affected by it; she never was. He trudged upstairs in embarrassment without looking back. And Ayana watched, chuckling. _He'll realize it someday._

_

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_**Kasutara is actually a dessert cake in Japan I've heard. Never tried it though...**

**Anyways, we got a little more introduction to Midori's parents and Tezuka's as well, especially his mother.**

**Next chapter finally brings the Preliminaries! I'll try and update soon.**

**In the meantime, REVIEW! Make me a happy writer. ^_^**


	9. Troubles and Victories

**Hello everyone! I know. The update is terribly late (_) but you can blame my lack of inspiration and laziness. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 9 – Preliminary Troubles and Concluding Victories

"Okay girls, this is it!" Midori hollered to the girls of her team. "We've come this far so now it's time to win this!"

The green-eyed girl put her hand in the middle of a circle of seven other girls and seven other hands piled on top of hers. It was heavy, literally and metaphorically. As the captain, Midori had a lot of weight to carry. She knew that but she had confidence in her team.

"Ready?" she said needlessly and the girls did the usual "Seigaku fight-O" cheer before heading off to the courts.

It was the Preliminary finals. The girls had won all the matches up until then with sweet 6-0 leads, but what had made Midori the most proud was that she didn't even have to step on the courts yet for an official match. Her girls were that good this year. She smiled at the thought and sighed. _Yup, this is why I became captain._

The girls made their way to the courts where their match against Kakinoki was being held.

"Singles 3 players please proceed to the court," the referee announced.

The quiet brunette, Yuri stepped up. She looked nervous already. "You played well in the last few matches Yuri," Midori smiled encouragingly. "You'll do great. Good luck!"

The shy girl nodded nervously and walked forward. In half an hour, the girl had managed to win, 6 games to 4. The girls cheered.

"Good job Yuri!" Everyone shouted.

"Wohoo!" Yuki jumped up like a child, for which Midori chastised her. She then turned to Yuri and smiled. The girl never seized to amaze her. Yuri was so shy at times, even when she stepped on the courts. But there was a determination when she played tennis; Midori had noticed that when she watched her play in the previous matches.

"You brought us the lead. Great job Yuri," she smiled at the brunette.

Yuri smiled timidly in return. "Arigatou buchou."

While Yuri was in the midst of her match, the officials decided to start the doubles one match in the other court due to time constraints. Rukia and Keiko were winning easily with a 5 – 4 lead. Midori smiled, _they are our Golden Pair._

"Doubles two match will now begin," the referee announced.

"OKAY! I want to hear cheers!" Yuki shouted happily as she stepped up.

Ann, her partner, sighed. "You will hear something from buchou if you don't get your butt on the court now. Come on," she said, dragging her friend.

They shook hands with their opponents and got in position with Yuki by the net and Ann in the back. Yuki turned to glance at her friend. "Let's do this Ann-chan," she smiled and received a nod in return.

Ann bounced the ball and then shot it in the air to serve. It wasn't necessarily fast but it was aimed so accurately to the corner that the baseline player couldn't reach it.

"15 – Love," the referee called.

Yuki raced over to her friend to give a high-five. "Nice. This is going to be too easy."

Ann giggled. "Then let's get it over with. Buchou promised us a party after all."

Within five minutes, Rukia and Keiko had won their match with 6 – 4 games. And within the next twenty minutes, Ann and Yuki had won theirs too. The victories continued as Irime won singles two easily and she was followed by Hikari's 6 – 0 sweep.

"6 – 0? As expected," Midori smiled as Hikari walked off the courts to the bench Midori was on. "But you didn't even give them chances like usual?"

Hikari shrugged as she grabbed her tennis bag. "I figured, let's win this and go cheer for the boys," she laughed. "Shall we?" Midori laughed, agreeing.

* * *

The girls packed up and happily proceeded to the outdoor table where the boys were hanging out. "Ready?" Midori smiled as she took a seat next to Tezuka.

"Aren't we always?" he jabbed back.

"Of course," she replied sarcastically, which earned her a rare smirk from Tezuka.

"By the looks of it, seems like you won," he pointed out.

"Did you expect any less?" she couldn't help but say slightly sourly. She tried to change her tone and subject. "So, planning to win?"

Tezuka glanced at her with a cynical look, appearing as if he couldn't believe she was asking him that question. She almost laughed.

"Let's make this interesting, shall we?" she grinned.

"Define 'interesting'?" He wasn't sure where she was going with this.

"Let's wager," Midori grinned impishly. "My bet is that your team will win 3 – 2. You up for it?"

"Depends on the prize," he smirked slightly.

"All-inclusive," she laughed. "Anything asked for." She thought about that for a second, then added, "But there are limitations of course."

"So much for 'all-inclusive'," he muttered under his breath.

Midori ignored the comment. "So you in? What's your bet?"

Tezuka considered it for a moment and replied, "3 – 1."

"Okay, we'll see then," she smirked.

Just as he was about to say something, someone caught his attention. He turned to see Keppei Tachibana and the Fudomine team approaching them. He got up to face them, Midori next to him.

"Tezuka," Keppei extended his hand.

"Keppei," Tezuka shook it. "Let's have a good match."

Keppei nodded and turned his attention to Midori, who stood next to Tezuka. "Sayuki, it's been a while," he smiled slightly. "How's my sister doing?"

"Getting used to Seigaku just fine," Midori returned the smile. "She's good. Won the doubles match with her friend today for us." Midori turned to see if Ann was there. "Hmm… guess she left somewhere. Anyways, good luck."

Keppei nodded and called to his team. "Let's go."

And just in time, coach Ryuzaki arrived with the list. "Alright, listen up. Don't underestimate the match against Fudomine. They've got to be strong if they've made it to the finals here. Here is the order: 2nd doubles will be Fuji and Kawamura, doubles one will be Eiji and Oishi, singles three Kaido, single two Ryoma, and singles one Tezuka."

* * *

By the time they got to the courts, there was already a crowd forming containing mostly Seigaku students. As Midori and the girls sat down on the benches near the boys, Tezuka gathered up the boys for a 'pre-game' pep talk. Like the girls, they piled their hands together and did the 'Seigaku fight-O cheer' before splitting.

Fuji and Kawamura stepped on the court while the rest piled back. They started their match strong with Taka unleashing his power and Fuji his triple counters. But half way through, things got ugly. One of their opponents, Ishida, used his special power move, the Hadoukyuu. Fuji stood, prepared to return it, but Taka interfered and injured his arm.

"Referee, we forfeit this match," Fuji spoke.

"What are you doing? I can still play!" Taka yelled. "This first match is important!"

Fuji smiled. "It's okay. We'll be fine." He pointed to the rest of their team sitting on the benches.

Taka sighed. "Alright."

"The first match goes to Fudomine," the referee announced as Fuji and Taka walked off the courts.

"Sayuki?" coach Ryuzaki turned around and called from her bench.

Midori walked over to her. "Yes coach?"

"You know how to do some first-aid for tennis injuries right?"

Midori nodded. She had learned some basics about tennis injuries and how to treat them initially during a tennis program she went to a few years back.

"Can you please have a look at Taka's arm then?" the coach asked. Midori obeyed and went over to Sadaharu, who was examining Taka's injury.

"What is it?" she asked the bespectacled boy.

"Doesn't look good," Inui answered. "Maybe a fractured bone."

Midori took Taka's arm gently and inspected it. "He could use some muscle spray," she told Sadaharu, who got it quickly.

She sprayed it onto to Taka's arm. "You should visit the hospital Taka. This may be worse than it looks." Taka nodded and headed off to the local hospital.

As the doubles one match started, Midori headed back to her seat. She then noticed that there were only seven of the girls there, including herself. _Where is Ann?_ She wondered. She headed out to the rest of the park to check and on her way she stopped to buy a pop from a vending machine. As she inserted the coin, she noticed a figure on a bench nearby. _Ann-chan…_

Buying an extra pop, Midori headed to the brunette. "There you are," she smiled. "Pop?"

"Thanks," Ann managed a small grin.

"So," Midori said, taking a seat next to her kouhai. "What's up? Why aren't you watching the matches?"

"Um, if you don't mind buchou I'm going to sit this one out," she replied. "I wouldn't know which side I should be supporting."

Midori nodded understandingly. "It's alright."

"Don't get me wrong buchou," Ann turned to her. "I love Seishun and support it fully… it's just that I still have friends at Fudomine who haven't forgiven me for changing schools."

"Well if they're holding a grudge against you for something so minor, then are they really your friends?"

"I still want them to be…" the second-year muttered.

"You're happy at Seigaku right?" Midori asked.

"Of course!"

"Well then let your friends know that," Midori said. "If they're really your friends, they'll be happy for you."

Ann smiled. "Thanks buchou."

Midori returned the smile before getting up to go back to the game. On her way back, she noticed Ryoma. The cocky first-year walked right through two of Fudomine's players that were practicing with two balls.

He turned to them. "Want to add a third ball?" he shameless asked. The two Fudomine players (Akira and Shinji) stared at him, stunned at his smug behavior.

_Typical Ryoma,_ Midori sighed as she witnessed the scene and then headed back to the matches. It turned out that Seigaku's Golden Pair had won six games to two and Kaido had managed to beat Kamio as well.

"What's going on?" Midori asked as she returned to her seat.

"Kaido won," Hikari replied. "But that second-year looks pissed."

"And tired," Yuki added.

It was true; Kamio looked as if he was going to pass out. He rested for a bit on the Fudomine bench before stomping off away from the courts.

"What's with him?" Shinji muttered to Keppei at the Fudomine bench.

Keppei shrugged. "He just needs to cool off," he answered. "Now get ready for your match Shinji."

* * *

Meanwhile Kamio had walked off into the park to cool off his growing anger at his loss. And it didn't help when he heard a familiar voice called him from behind.

"Kamio-kun," Ann stood up from the bench as she noticed him pass by. The said boy turned around as she approached him.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his heated glare.

"I lost," he turned his glare away.

"Oh." She didn't know what else to say.

"I bet you're happy," he spat out heatedly.

"What?" Ann said, confused by his hostile behavior. She knew that Kamio hadn't been much happy about her transferring schools and was still kind of upset. But the fact that he was still holding it against her was surprising. "No! Of course not –" She began to say when he glared at her again.

"Look, I know you're upset with me because I transferred out of Fudomine. But I needed to do it for myself. And I'm happy with Seigaku so as a friend, you should be happy for me," she said, trying to reason with him. "And just because we're in different schools doesn't mean we can't still be friends… right?"

Kamio look at her before turning and walking away, leaving a disappointed Ann. She was almost on the verge of tears; Kamio was one of her closest friends and to see him just walk away hurt. Badly. She watched him grow farther and farther away and when she realized he wasn't going to turn back, she gave up.

She sighed and turned around and to her surprise she noticed Momo standing several feet back by the vending machine. He was staring right at her, worried and slightly awkward. It was none of his business but he had witnessed the whole scene.

"You weren't supposed to see that," Ann said quietly as she passed by him and walked off, leaving a confused Momo.

* * *

Back at the courts, the Seigaku crowd was cheering as Ryoma was leading 4 – 0. As the first-year got in position to return the ball however, he lost his grip and his racket went flying and hit in right in the eye it seemed. The bleeding started immediately.

"Oh no," Midori muttered as she rushed to Inui, who had gotten the first-aid kit. Ryoma sat on the bench as the bespectacled boy examined the wound. "How is it?" she asked Inui.

"There is no injury to the eye but the eye lid is cut deep," he reported.

"Ok, let's try and stop the bleeding at least," she said as she picked up a bottle of medicine from the kit. "Stop fidgeting Ryoma-chan," she ordered as she moved his hair out of the way and applied the medicine. She then took a bandage and covered the wounded eye.

"How is it Sayuki?" coach Ryuzaki had come over to ask.

"The medication is only temporary coach," Midori answered. "It'll hold off for fifteen – maybe twenty – minutes at the most."

At hearing that, Ryoma got up with another racket from his bag.

"You can't be serious Ryoma… and with that cut-" Midori began to say but Tezuka cut in.

"Ten minutes. If you can't finish this within ten minutes, you'll have to forfeit, understand?" he said.

Ryoma smirked. "Ten minutes is plenty," he said as he stepped back on the courts.

Midori sighed as the match resumed. "He's going to be at a complete disadvantage," she said to Tezuka, who stood next to her. "You're crazy to have let him play."

"We'll see," Tezuka shrugged and Midori suppressed the urge to mutter 'arrogant.'

* * *

**I hope you guys liked it.**

**I'm trying to get over my lack of inspiration. **

**In the meantime, REVIEW! ^_^  
**


	10. Maybe They'll See Things Our Way

**A/N: Hey everyone! Back after a while. (Don't eat me! ^^) Anyways, I just wanted to clear up some confusion readers may be having regarding this fic.**

**Firstly, Till the pages Fade take place in high school. Everyone is still in their respective teams and schools. The only difference is that they are older. Third years are 17, second years are 16, and first years are 15. **

**Secondly, yes, I did use parts of the original POT. However, that is only for the tournaments. So don't worry. It won't be exactly the same. And I realized that the last chapter was rushed. Don't worry about that either. The rest of the tournaments definitely won't be (and can't be) squished into one chapter. ^^  
**

**Thirdly, yes, my writing style had changed in the last chapter. Lack of inspiration does that I guess. Hehe. ^^ But I hope this chapter is written in my normal style like usual.  
**

**Lastly, thanks Sekainoowari for all your help. You're awesome Sima-chan! And saya-plus for being such an honest reader for me. I hope there's enough creativeness in this chapter for you. ^^**

**Now on with the chapter! (can't believe we've finally hit 10...double digits!) XD**

Chapter 10 – Maybe they'll See Things Our Way

"Hey! Ochibi get in here!" Eiji yelled, grinning as he pulled the first-year into the Kawamura Sushi Shop. The boys had won their match against Fudomine and were celebrating at Taka's place.

"Can't breath… sempai… let go!" Ryoma gasped for air as the redhead clung to him.

"Congratulations boys on winning the preliminaries," Taka's father greeted them from the counter. "Eat all you want today!"

Upon hearing that, they all rushed to the food being served on the tables and began chewing down. There was also music blaring from the stereo in the back that almost no one heard the knock on the door.

Midori stood outside with the girls and knocked. No answer. After a minute or so, she decided to peek in. Yup, there were the boys.

"Sayuki? Hey, come in!" Taka smiled, noticing her head peeping in through the door.

"Oh hey Taka," Midori smiled. "Mind if we gatecrash?"

"We?"

"Girls," Midori said and Seigaku's girl's team piled in. She turned to Taka and said, "So we in?"

Taka laughed. "No problem. Help yourself," he said and turned to the boys, who were still busy pigging out. "Hey guys, we got company."

As the rest of the girls joined the boys, Midori lay her tennis bag in the corner with everyone else's and walked over to the counter. She hopped onto a bar stool next to Tezuka. "Congratulations," she said as she got a plate of sushi to eat.

"You too."

"So you did win the bet…" she admitted, slightly unwillingly.

Tezuka smirked. "You're reminding me?" he said sarcastically.

"Ha-ha," she retorted. "It was just incase it might've slipped your mind."

"I doubt that."

Midori glared at him playfully before asking, "So what do you want?"

"Nothing yet. But worry not, it won't slip my mind," he said, mockingly.

"Good to know," she chuckled and decided to change the topic. "We still have to finish that literature essay," she reminded him. "I would suggest finishing it now but with the music and them" – she pointed behind her to the table full of teens munching on food – "we're probably not going to get much done."

Tezuka nodded and was about to say something when Taka's father approached him at the counter. "Congratulations. How about a real drink sir?"

"I'm the buchou…" he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Midori heard Fuji and Hikari giggling behind her and she couldn't help herself. When Taka's father apologized and returned to the others, she burst into a quiet laughter.

Tezuka shot her a glare and for his sake, Midori tried to stop chuckling. "You know if you didn't always have that stone-cold look, you might be able to pull off as an actual teenager," she teased.

"Yeah? Well for someone who's worn this look for much of his life, it's harder to get rid of then you'd think," Tezuka replied sarcastically.

Midori laughed as she took a sip of her drink. "A smile would always help you know."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tezuka muttered to himself.

As the two chatted away, they hardly realized that Fuji and Hikari were scrutinizing them from behind. "Is it just me, or is there something going on between them?" Hikari whispered, chuckling. "I mean, first you saw them walking together that evening and then they spent lunch together last week and now here they are together."

Fuji popped a spicy wasabi sushi into his mouth. "Something is definitely up," he said and then smirked. "You want to do some digging?" Hikari smirked as she leaned in to hear his idea.

* * *

As nine o'clock approached, everyone finally gave the food a rest and decided to play video games and just enjoy the night. Ann, however, was seated in a corner of the restaurant, away from her rowdy teammates. She was depressed; she couldn't deny it. The incident earlier in the day with Kamio had left her feeling terrible. _It's all my fault…_ she couldn't help but think. Yuki had come over to her before to try and cheer her up but after half an hour of trying, it was obvious that it wasn't working. And so Ann continued to sit alone until she noticed someone walking towards her.

Momo walked over and handed her a plate of sushi. "I would've gotten you a burger – since you love them so much-" he threw in sarcastically "- but they don't exactly have those at a sushi restaurant."

"Thanks," Ann managed a small smile despite her depressed mood. As she popped a piece into her mouth, Momo sat down next to her. He looked awkward, as if something was on his mind. "What's wrong?" she asked.

He glanced at her, unsure of where to begin. "Uh… about what happened between you and Kamio today… I didn't mean to eavesdrop," he said, seeming uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

Ann sighed quietly. "It's not your fault," she mumbled. "It's mine."

"You can't blame yourself just because he can't accept the fact that you're in Seigaku now," he replied. He hadn't noticed how close they were sitting. He could almost smell the sweet strawberry scent of her hair.

"I know…" Ann admitted. "But still, I feel like somehow I could've avoided this whole situation if I had done things differently."

"I hope he come around…" for your sake.

"Me too," Ann said quietly. She scooted closer and leaned onto his shoulders. She liked Momo's support; it made her feel like things were going to be alright.

Momo sat surprised by Ann's action. He was taken aback and blushed but he didn't want to let go either. He glanced down at her and realized that he liked her. He really did. But how could he possibly tell her when she seemed to be hung up on someone else? Momo sighed and ran the heartbreaking thoughts out of his mind. He put his arms gently around her. _Maybe she'll things my way… _and that was all he could hope for.

* * *

Meanwhile, Midori and Tezuka were beginning to leave the restaurant. The two picked up their tennis bags and thanked Taka's father for hosting them for the evening and left quietly. Their ways home were in the same direction so they had decided to just leave together.

As they exited the restaurant, a soft breeze blew into their faces. Midori smiled to herself; she liked the feel of the warm breeze. It felt safe and innocent to her. As they began walking, Midori grew quiet and appeared to have something on her mind.

Tezuka waited to see if she would pull out of her trance but when he realized it wasn't going to happen any time soon, he finally spoke. "It's normal, don't worry."

"What?" Midori said, snapping out of her thoughts.

"The 'staring off into space' thing you're doing," he replied sarcastically.

"Ha-ha," she retorted and hit him jokingly on the arm.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked, unsure of why he was doing it though. Normally, he wouldn't care what people were thinking about. He just couldn't be bothered to ask; it didn't matter to him at all. But, for some reason, Sayuki did matter. He didn't even know why he cared about what she thought. He just did.

"Just thinking about how much I know you," she answered without thinking as they turned a corner. It took her a few seconds to realize what she had just said but when she did, she turned bright red with awkwardness. _Thank god it's dark at least!_ She would've died of embarrassment if he saw her blush now.

Midori was about to speak when Tezuka beat her to it. "How much _do _you?" he smirked to himself.

She took a minute to consider his question and then suddenly stopped in front of him. "You are Tezuka Kunimitsu, captain of the tennis team, Student Council President, and probably Seigaku's most prized possession. You have it all – the brains, the talent, the looks, and the confidence. Every guy at school wants to be like you. You're a top honors student, teachers and parents trust you, girls would hook up with you in less then a second if you asked, and with the kind of talent you have in tennis, you're probably going to be a pro someday. And that adds wealth and fame to the list of things you have – or will have. On top of all that, you still manage to have that cool, confident air to you. Trust me, you could be the poster boy for perfection."

When Midori had finished her speech, she was surprised to hear a rare chuckle from Tezuka. "Well, at least I'm getting you to smile," she muttered. "What is so funny though?"

"Is that what I'm like from someone else's point of view?" he smirked. It still surprised him that Sayuki could make him smile.

Midori shrugged and they began walking again. "Just stating the facts," she smirked. "But that's not the only side of you. I've witnessed the sarcastic side of you – which is more fun incase you're wondering," she teased.

"Yeah, I was dying to know," he muttered sarcastically.

Midori laughed. "Is there another side of you that the world has yet to see?" she teased dramatically. "I would like to be a VIP witness!"

"Last time I checked, I won the bet. _You_ own _me_ something, not the other way around," he stated.

"Whatever," she shrugged. "I still know more about you than you realize."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Such as?"

Midori thought about the question for a minute. "Well I know that you are camera-shy, you've read Pride and Prejudice, you can play the piano, and that girls drool over you but you've never bother to look at them twice."

Her last point brought a smirk on his face and he stopped right in front of her. "Maybe some are just not worth a second glance."

Midori blinked, surprised at how close he was. Her heart rate picked up fast; lately it always did with him around. She tried to breath but when you're so close to someone that if you leaned in a little you could practically kiss them… breathing became a challenge. And it didn't help that he was staring intently into her eyes either. Midori felt weak against him; all her defenses down. Only _he_ could have that effect on her.

It took her longer than she's expected to break eye contact. But when she eventually did, she said, "Tezuka Kunimitsu? A heartbreaker? What a shocker!" She attempted to shake off the dazed feeling she was experiencing and hoped that her sarcasm would cover for it.

Tezuka, on the other hand, smirked and backed off slowly. "They all seem the same to me," he said in a quieter, almost distant, tone. Then he smirked and added, "You don't bother to look twice when nobody stands out."

Midori's heart sank a little when she heard that. But she never showed it. Instead she tried to cover up for it by saying, "And what exactly 'stands out' to the one and only Tezuka?"

Tezuka found himself giving a small smile. "Personality," he stated bluntly, and then added, "But that's rare, if you know what I mean."

Midori couldn't help but laugh. "Sadly I do," she chuckled. Then in a quieter, suggestive tone she added, "Well be on the lookout. You might find what you're looking for."

They were already approaching Midori's house and as they stopped in front of it, Tezuka looked at her closely. "Maybe I already did," he said in a quiet voice.

Midori's heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was her! And then her heart sank as quickly as it had skipped. _Or maybe not..._

"I'll see you later." Tezuka's quiet voice brought her back to reality. She nodded once as she bid him goodbye and watched him walk off.

Unwillingly, she walked back towards her front door and let herself in. As she softly closed the door behind her, only one thought rang in her mind. _Maybe it's not me…_ she couldn't help but think. And she let out a hopeless sigh. Maybe he didn't feel the same kind of connection she felt. _Maybe he never will…_

But she wasn't going to give up. Not yet. _Maybe he'll see things my way… _and that was all she could hope for.

* * *

**YAY! I'm still rejoicing over the fact that we've finally hit chapter 10! ^^**

**Anyways, I hope this chapter was good enough to make up for the mess that was the previous one.**

**Let me know what you guys think. REVIEW! ^_^  
**


	11. Another Day

**A/N: Hello everyone! It's been long but I've finally gotten back to the fic. I don't want to waste any more words, so enjoy! ^_^**

Chapter 11 – Another Day

It was a beautiful, breezy day as Midori Sayuki walked to Seishun Academy. There she was greeted by her friends on the tennis team, who still seemed to be celebration-mode after winning the Preliminaries a week ago. As everyone laughed and chatted happily, Midori sighed, making her way away from the rowdy group and entering the school halls. As she made her way to her classroom, a taller figure came up behind her.

"Morning," she greeted with a small smile, knowing him well enough to sense that it was Tezuka. He walked close to her, which Midori couldn't help but noticed. But she didn't complain. It felt like something was pulling her, wanting her to be closer to him as well.

"You know their hype still hasn't died down," he spoke, his voice quiet and close enough for only her to hear. Midori couldn't help but smile inwardly again; she liked it when he spoke like that, as if their conversations were private, intimate. Even if the topic of discussion wasn't.

"Oh, so you've noticed them by the gates too huh?" she smiled. They were talking about their team members, still excited outside. "We need to crack down during practices fast, before they get too carried away."

"That shouldn't be too hard," he gave her a small smirk as they entered their class and took their seats. Midori chuckled quietly as the teacher began speaking.

Morning classes droned on like usual and when lunch came around, it was a relief for everyone. The boys and girls hung out together by their usual tables and everyone seemed be in a good mood but Ann, who sat sulking in a corner. Midori had heard about what had happened between the second-year and her friend Kamio at Fudomine and felt sorry for her.

_Poor girl_, she thought from across the table. As the green-eyed girl was about to make her way to Ann to comfort her, she noticed someone else eyeing the brunette. Momo sat on the other end of the table but his eyes were on Ann. _No way!_ Midori smirked to herself. Any girl could tell by the way Momo looked at Ann that he obviously liked her. But Ann, who sat staring at the ground, took no notice. Her mind was already occupied. Midori glanced back at Momo. _Poor guy_, she couldn't help but think. But _how clueless can Ann-chan be?_ She sighed. _Whatever. I'll leave it to them to figure things out._

_

* * *

_

Last period of the day…

As the bell rang, signaling the start of the last class of the day, everyone in class 3-A got up, collected their things, and made their way across the school to the Home Economics classroom. Starting today, they would all be taking that class twice a week.

As everyone piled into the large classroom, which resembled several giant kitchens rather than an actual class, Tezuka groaned quietly to himself. He hated this class; it was the one imperfection in his near perfect grades. Science, math - even music! – he could manage. But cooking was just too close to impossible. Tezuka closed his eyes for a second; he did not want to think about how bad this class had been for him last year.

The short, plump woman (who he guessed to be their sensei) ordered them to leave their bags and belongings at a long empty counter in the back of the room and then join her at the front. "Hello everyone," she said, in a jolly voice. "Welcome to Home Economics again. I hope you've enjoyed this class last year because we'll be continuing with the curriculum and focusing on cooking again."

Tezuka groaned quietly to himself again; the sensei wasn't making things any easier for him. As he snuck a glance at Sayuki, he found himself smirking slightly at the sight of her. _Well at least she seems to be enjoying this_, he thought.

"This year, we'll be focusing more on western foods and baking in particular," the sensei explained. Then she said something that brought a moment of panic for Tezuka. "Today we'll be starting with a simple baking recipe so get with a partner and come get a recipe sheet from me."

It wasn't the cooking part that scared Tezuka more. It the part about finding a partner. Already he could tell a group of girls were eyeing him from across the room. He turned to see his friends already partnered up and so he approached the one person who he didn't mind working with. Actually, he _wanted_ to work with her… but he wasn't going to admit that.

Midori turned around just as Tezuka approached her. "Do you want to save me from a bad grade and an even worse headache?" he asked rhetorically.

Confused, Midori raised an eyebrow and Tezuka quietly indicated the group of girls across the room eyeing them suspiciously.

She turned back to him and smirked. "I am honored that you see me as your savior in a time of fangirl-distress," she started sarcastically, "but I'd rather not. Being your partner means putting my life in danger and - incase you're oblivious to it - it already is because I'm talking to you. So if you don't mind," and she brushed past an increasingly desperate Tezuka.

Sighing he followed her; he wasn't giving up just yet. "You, Sayuki, are afraid of them of all people?" He tried a different approach in an attempt to convince her.

Midori stopped to turn around. "Nice try, even though it's not working," she replied and began walking away once again.

"Then what's your reason to not be my partner?" Tezuka asked, getting slightly annoyed.

The green-eyed girl laughed as she spun to face him again. "Did you happen to forget that you can't cook? At all!" Even Midori knew that this was his worst class. "What makes you think that I'll be your partner after that?"

Tezuka – for once – stood there with no answer. "Point taken," he admitted unwillingly. She was right of course, but he needed a good partner before he got stuck with a fangirl. And just as Midori was about to walk away again, an idea hit his mind.

Tezuka grasped her hands before she got away. "But did you happen to forget that I had won the bet. And if I remember correctly – which I do, thanks to you – it was 'all-inclusive.' So I want to use it now. Be my partner."

Midori glared at him for a full minute, annoyed that he had outwitted her. "Fine," she agreed stiffly as Tezuka smirked inwardly. She had made a promise and she would keep it. "Get a recipe sheet from Sensei. I'll get us a counter."

"Yes, ma'am," he muttered as she walked away.

As Midori walked over to an empty counter, she could feel eyes on her. She looked up to find glares from fangirls and immediately regretted being Tezuka's partner_. What was I thinking?_ She groaned to herself. _I could've just refused! It's not like he could've forced me to be his partner!_

"Here's the recipe," she heard Tezuka return, making her forget her worries. "We're making chocolate chip cookies."

Midori smiled as she looked over the sheet. "Too easy," she grinned. "Let's get started."

* * *

An hour later, Midori came to learn that cooking just didn't suit Tezuka. What should've taken only 20 minutes to do actually took them more than fifty. With his 'help,' they managed to ruin two entire bowls of cookie batter; one had too much milk, and the other too much salt ("It looked like sugar," he had argued, much to Midori's frustration).

As class ended, everyone piled out eating their 'assignments.' Meanwhile, the sensei called Midori and Tezuka. "Stay behind you two, and clean up your mess," she barked, all jollity gone from her tone, as she exited the room.

"Let's get to work," Midori sighed. "We still have to attend practice."

Tezuka nodded and set to work. Midori soon got the impression that he was trying to make up for all the trouble he had caused. He had alone cleaned the counter and the dishes.

"Finally finished!" Midori exclaimed twenty minutes later. She hopped onto the spotless counter as Tezuka walked over to her.

He scratched the back of his neck, feeling unsure of how to begin. "Listen, I'm sorry for all the trouble I created today," he said. "I understand if you want another partner next time."

Smirking, Midori bounced back on her feet. "Who said I did?" she challenged, almost forgetting the shrinking distance between them. She didn't fail to notice, however, that the air in the room suddenly stopped. It felt as if everything stood still.

Tezuka didn't know how to respond to that; it was the first time she had ever made advancement on him. But he found himself wanting to close the distance between them. _What am I thinking?_ As he peered into green eyes, all his thoughts vanished and – for once – he let instincts take over as he stepped closer.

Midori distinctly realized that she was in between the counter and Tezuka. To her surprise, he leaned in, and she couldn't help but catch her breath audibly – to her horror.

There was no way he could miss her gasp in the silence of the large room. He shut his eyes and his lips turned into a fine, hard line as his jaw set. As much as he hated the idea, he forced himself to turn away. Clearing his throat, he finally released his eyes. "We'd better go," he spoke quietly. "We have practice."

He walked away, leaving Midori alone. _What just happened? _She thought incredulously. _Was he about to… kiss me?_ A million different accusations and doubts ran through her mind. _Stop it_! She scolded herself eventually. _If he wanted to kiss me, he would've. But he didn't…_

_

* * *

_**So close to a kiss! xD **

**Hope you liked the chapter. I'm on summer break so watch out for more updates in the next two months.**

**Till next time! Ciao!**

**Oh! And please REVIEW! ^_^  
**


	12. All Hope

**A/N: Hello everyone! I'd like to thank you guys for all your support! ^_^ Your reviews are great, keep them coming! Here is another chapter for y'all. Enjoy! ^^**

Chapter 12 – All Hope

A week had passed since the incident in Home Economics and Midori still couldn't get it out of her head. The scene replayed over and over in her mind every time she saw Tezuka, who made a keen effort to never mention the incident. He acted as if nothing had happened, and he pulled it all off in his usual stoic manner. After realizing that he was never going to mention it, Midori also took his lead and avoided the topic all together.

Besides, they had more important things to focus on. The city tournament had already started. However, because Seigaku won the Preliminaries, they were not required to play the first few rounds, and automatically qualified for the quarter – finals. They were up against St. Rudolph.

"Girls, gather in!" coach Ryuzaki called once they had arrived at the courts. "Here is our line up against St. Rudolph," she held up a paper. "They are a good team. Like the boys, the girls are also recruited from across Japan."

"They have a variety of talent," Midori commented, from next to the coach.

"Exactly," the older woman replied. "But they haven't reached the level at which Seigaku is at. We can win this so let's try our best."

As they prepared for the matches, the referee announced that doubles matches would be played at the same time due to time restraints. Ann and Yuki, and Rukia and Keiko stepped up.

"Good luck girls!" Midori smiled as they passed by her.

As the two doubles matches started, coach Ryuzaki approached her. "Sayuki, I've changed up the playing order this time," she announced.

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"I've put you down for playing singles 3," she replied. "I'm sorry I should've notified you earlier but the idea came to me last minute."

Puzzled, Midori asked, "Why me, coach? Why now?"

"Our doubles teams are good; I'm sure they can win their matches," coach Ryuzaki answered. "St. Rudolph likes to go for three straight wins. So I figured why not beat them at their own game and go for a quick win by having you play singles 3. We would win all three matches and enter the semi – finals."

Unable to refuse, Midori had to accept the change. She sighed as the coach walked back to the bench. It would've helped if she had known in advance. But then again, she hadn't gotten the chance to actually step on the courts yet for an official match, so now she has the opportunity.

As Midori turned around to look for Irime, she noticed the Seigaku boys taking up seats on the benches. Her eyes instantly fell on Tezuka, and like always, the scene in the classroom replayed in her mind. It didn't help that, at that moment, he looked right at her as well. Like each time, something within them clicked instantly.

She looked deep in his hazel eyes to find something of the Tezuka she knew. After the 'incident,' he had reverted back into his impassive self. All the effort she had put into trying to get him to open up was wasted within two minutes.

Forcing herself to look away, Midori glanced around the benches for a glimpse of dark auburn hair. "Irime," she called, once she found the girl.

"I guess coach told you about the change, right?" the red-head smiled as Midori approached.

"Yeah," she replied, taking a seat next to her friend. "I was wondering if you had any idea who my opponent is."

Irime, pulled open her notebook (which looked dangerously similar to Inui, she noticed), and flipped through a few pages. "Ah, here," she said. "Mizuki Ayami. She's your opponent."

"Mizuki?" Midori repeated, leaning in to see her friend's data collection. "You don't mean…"

Irime nodded. "She is related to Hajime. They are cousins," she explained. "She's right – handed and in second year. She only became a regular at St. Rudolph this year after her cousin persuaded her to join. The only I know about her playing style is that it's not like Hajime at all. She doesn't use data to her advantage like he does."

Midori nodded and smiled. "Well then I guess it'll be fair play. She probably doesn't know anything about my playing style either since this is my first match."

"Game – Set! Seigaku's doubles one wins 6 games to 1!" The referee's announcement made the Seishun crowd cheer.

"Well I guess we're on track for another win," Midori grinned at Irime. "I'm going to go warm up."

She picked up her tennis bag and headed out of the crowd unnoticed as everyone was watching the doubles two pair, waiting intently for another win. Little did she know, however, that a certain pair of hazel eyes were on her the entire time.

* * *

Tezuka watched her leave and after contemplating a minute, decided to exit as well. He notified one of his teammates and left quietly. _She must be looking for a place to warm up_, he thought once outside. He didn't see her anywhere and so sighed, realizing that he was going to have to look around.

He began walking through the tennis park and found himself at the entrance of a deserted court. Looking closer through the gates, he recognized that there were actually two girls there. One in a Seigaku uniform, the other in a Hyotei one.

"Nakamura?" he heard one of them say. Yup, that was Sayuki.

Tezuka could see the other girl from where he was standing and quickly recognized her. _She was the one Sayuki played in the inter – squad rankings for the captain's spot,_ he realized. _Haruhi Nakamura. _He hadn't seen that blonde in school ever since she'd lost. Everyone had been curious at first but that had eventually died down as it became old news at Seishun.

"What are you doing in a Hyotei uniform?" he heard Sayuki ask.

Haruhi flipped her long, blonde hair. "Take a guess. What do you think?" she replied sarcastically, her tone bitter. "I transferred to Hyotei obviously."

From Tezuka's view, he couldn't see Sayuki's face. But, by the tone of her voice, he was sure that she'd rolled her eyes. "Should I even ask why?" she replied.

Haruhi made no attempt to hide her contempt. "Because Seigaku had nothing more to offer me," she said resentfully. "You had already taken the captain's spot. There was nothing more there for me after that."

"And there is at Hyotei?" Sayuki replied, dryly.

"For your information, I'm the captain of Hyotei's girls' team," the blonde retorted. "I've earned what I've wanted."

"Earned?" Tezuka heard Sayuki say skeptically. "I doubt that." She folded her arms across her chest. "So what was it - Bribery, blackmail, torture? How did you get the position?"

Tezuka couldn't help but smirk at her remark, but Haruhi seemed less amused. The blonde gritted her teeth in anger and opened her mouth to retort when all of a sudden Atobe Keigo walked in. From where Tezuka was positioned, they couldn't see him but he could see them well. His lips turned into a hard, fine line as he saw the other boy. Their longstanding rivalry had never ended. It probably never would. **(A/N: Just wanted to clarify something at this point in the story. Atobe and Tezuka have NOT yet had their match like they did in the manga and anime. If you go back to chapter 5, it says that the reason Tezuka injured his arm in grade 7, 1st year of middle school, was because of a match with a sempai. It is also told that the reason his pain returned in grade 9, 3rd year of middle school, was because of rigorous training, not because he had played Atobe. Even though they are in high school now, they are still rivals nonetheless.)**

He sauntered in from the one of the other gates. "There you are," he said approaching Haruhi. He sounded annoyed with the girl but nonetheless wrapped an arm around her waist. Haruhi smirked and took advantage of the opportunity to kiss him.

Slightly disturbed by their… intensity (for a lack of a better word), Midori glanced away. She quickly got the picture as to how Haruhi – out of all people – became the Hyotei captain.

A few moments later, Atobe finally pushed Haruhi aside and, for the first time, noticed Midori standing there. "Sayuki," he smirked, acknowledging her. He knew her; all the eminent national – level players knew each other.

Midori made no attempt to reply back.

"My car is outside," Atobe informed Haruhi. "Go wait there." The blonde looked as if she was about to refuse but he quickly shot her down with a hard glare. "Go wait in the car," he repeated, punctuating every word with a commanding tone.

Haruhi glared at Midori but obeyed Atobe. As she strutted out, he turned his attention to the green-eyed girl. "So Sayuki, I've heard a lot about you and your team." He came closer and attempted to pull her in from behind.

But Midori was quicker. "Don't touch me!" She slapped his hand away and glared hard.

Before she could say anymore, Atobe turned his attention to someone else. "Ah, Tezuka," he smirked.

Midori turned to see his tall figure and immediately sighed inwardly with relief. He approached them with his fists in his pocket and his tennis bag swung over his shoulders. "What do you want Atobe?" He was as stoic and confident as ever.

"Nothing," Atobe drawled. "I was just chatting with Sayuki here-" – he smirked at her – "-about how good her team is doing. What about the guys, Tezuka?"

"Just fine thanks," he replied coolly.

Atobe smirked again. "Good to hear," he remarked, not really meaning it. "What about that arm of yours? It was injured back in the ninth grade if I remember correctly."

From next to her, Midori could feel Tezuka's left arm stiffen. _Just like the last time I mentioned it…_ she realized. _He must hate it when people bring it up._

"Thanks for your concern," Midori could make out a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "But it's fine."

At this point, she decided to interrupt before Atobe could reply. "Shouldn't you be getting back to Nakamura?" she asked the purple-haired teen disdainfully. "She doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Atobe ignored the hint of mockery in her voice and continued to smirk instead. "We'll see you at the finals," he declared to Tezuka before sauntering off in his Atobe swagger.

"Are you okay?" Tezuka asked quietly once they were alone. As Midori nodded, he asked, "Need a practice partner?"

She blinked, surprised that he would offer. After the 'incident' she figured that he wanted nothing to do with her. _Maybe all hope isn't lost yet_, she smirked to herself.

As they began an easygoing rally, Tezuka asked, "Aren't you going to play with your left hand?"

Midori grinned as she chased the ball. "Not until I have to."

"Wanna bet on your match?"

She looked surprised for a second but then laughed. "I thought you weren't into the whole betting idea?"

Tezuka shrugged as he hit the ball back to her. "I figured I could use more favors. Besides, Home Ecs. isn't getting any easier for me."

Midori laughed again as she returned the ball. "Alright. I bet that I'll win 6 – 0."

Tezuka gave a slight smirk. "And you call me arrogant," he said sarcastically.

"'It's not arrogance, it's confidence,'" she mocked him playfully.

Tezuka resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Make it 6 – 1," he challenged.

"Why would I want to give away a game?"

"I'm challenging you," he replied as he returned the ball. "It's harder than it looks to be able to control the score in such a way." Midori appeared unsure, making him smirk. "Or are you afraid you'll lose control of the match?"

"Of course not," she said defensively. "I can give a game away and still win." She surprised him by hitting a quick drop shot and winning the point.

"I'll win the next one," he said as she grinned at him.

But before they could start another rally, Midori's cell phone rang. She picked it up from the bench and spoke. Once she was finished, she turned to Tezuka and said, "Irime called. The doubles two match is almost done. Let's go."

* * *

As they returned to the main courts, Ann and Yuki were shaking hands with their opponents.

"6 – 1," Midori read off the scoreboard. "Great job girls!"

"Singles 3 players please step on court," the referee announced.

With her racket in her right hand, Midori turned to Tezuka. "This bet is all – inclusive?"

"'With limitations of course,'" he mocked her words.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile as she stepped on the court. Her opponent was a girl slightly shorter than her with wavy brown-black hair. "Let's have a good match," Midori smiled. The girl returned the smile and they began to play.

Twenty-five minutes into the game, Midori found herself up by 4 games to love. As the referee called for a break, she walked over to the bench and took a swig from her water bottle.

"You still have a game to give away," Tezuka said quietly for only her to hear as he passed her a towel.

"I know," she said taking another swig. "The next one."

Midori returned to the court and served the ball, hitting it into an easy position for Ayami, her opponent, to pick up. Ayami returned the serve and Midori decided to award the girl a lob. Not missing the opportunity, Ayami jumped to smash the ball.

"Love – 15."

Midori turned her eyes to the benches. Most of the people were staring with shock that she gave away a point. Rukia and Irime were giving her looks that read 'what the hell?' Tezuka, standing behind the main crowd, was the only one that looked unfazed. When she caught his eyes, he simply put his hands in his pockets, as if saying that he was waiting for more. _Always casual_, she thought. Before a small smile could appear on her lips, she turned her eyes away.

With the next ball, Midori played around with Ayami more, making her hit shots in certain positions. She was in complete control but because she had to give one game away, she let the second – year hit the ball past her.

"Love – 30." Midori didn't want to look at the crowd again._ But I have to admit_, she thought, this is kind of fun. _Playing around yet being in control of the game. _

Midori let her opponent have the rest of the game. But once the requirement was over, she began to completely dominate, not showing Ayami any mercy.

"Game – Set! Sayuki wins 6 games to 1!" The announcement was made within ten minutes of the game Midori gave away. "Seigaku girls' team advances to the semifinals."

As the crowd cheered and eventually dispersed, Midori shook hands with her opponent and made her way to the Seigaku bench. Her friends were still looking surprised that she gave a game away but after her win, nobody seemed to remember.

"Congratulations," she heard Tezuka approach her.

Stowing her racket away, she smiled. "Thanks. So when can I collect my winnings?"

"Anytime. Just try not to forget," he mocked jokingly.

Midori rolled her eyes. "I doubt that."

They made their way to a different set of courts, where the boys were to play St. Rudolph, and she couldn't help but smile to herself when she snuck a glance at Tezuka's figure next to her. _Maybe all hope isn't lost yet… _

_

* * *

_**So what you guys think? I hope this chapter didn't seem too rushed.**

**Haruhi makes a comeback haha. If you don't remember her, refer back to chapter 2.**

**I also hope the whole Tezuka-Atobe note above wasn't too confusing. If you have any questions, just ask. ^_^**

**In the meantime, REVIEW! They're really supportive. ^_^  
**


	13. Girl Talk

**A/N: Wow! I'm on a roll... for once haha.  
**

**To Smash41KMF: Congratulations on winning the tournament! Do you play singles or doubles? Good luck with Sectionals! ^_^**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

Chapter 13 – Girl Talk

"Game – Set! Fuji wins 7 games to 5!" The referee announced. "Seigaku boys' team advances to the semifinals."

It had only been a few hours since the girls had won their matches, and already the boys had too. The crowd cheered as Fuji made his way to the bench.

"Congratulations," Midori smiled at the tensei but he didn't look too happy. She turned to Hikari, who knew Fuji best, and threw her a questioning look.

"I'll tell you after," the brunette whispered.

Midori nodded. "So you want to hang at my place?" she asked, changing the subject. She was hoping they could relax and just hang out after winning today's matches.

"Sure," her friend agreed smiling.

"What about you guys?" Midori turned to the rest of the girls.

"I'm in," Rukia piped in.

"Me too," answered Irime.

"Sorry buchou but Yuri and I already have plans," Keiko said. "We're going with Eiji to visit the pet store."

"We can't come either buchou," Ann said. She was indicating to Yuki and herself. "We have a project to finish so we're heading to my house."

"Oh, Fudomine is playing Hyotei in a few days right?" The second – year nodded at her buchou's sudden and random question. "Well then if you see your brother, ask him to kick some Hyotei butt for me."

"Sure buchou," Ann laughed as she and Yuki headed off.

"Well I guess it's just us four," she smiled, turning to Hikari, Irime, and Rukia. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

The four girls reached Midori's house in twenty minutes.

"Your house is so far," Hikari complained as Midori unlocked the door and they stepped in. The house was empty as Mr. and Mrs. Sayuki were still at work.

Her friend laughed. "Well if you guys didn't walk like turtles maybe it wouldn't seem so far."

"Hey! We just played a hard match," Rukia protested as she collapsed on Midori's sofa. "Cut us some slack."

They all sprawled on the sofas and relaxed. Being Midori's closest friends, they were over at her house many times and were treated like family by her parents. The same was true if they happened to be at anyone of their homes.

"Anyone else starving?" Midori asked as she walked over to the kitchen.

Rukia got up and rummaged through her friend's refrigerator and then popped her head out disappointedly. "Do you not have any pop in your house at all?"

"It's not healthy for you," Midori answered as she searched through her cupboards. "Alright I can't find cones so I guess we'll just have to do with ice cream bowls instead."

"Oh cookies and cream ice cream!" Rukia grinned, pulling out the box. "It's your favorite. Should've seen that coming," she chuckled.

As the girls sat on high stools by the kitchen island, Midori asked, "So what was up with Fuji today? He didn't look too happy after winning against Mizuki."

"He was," Hikari replied as she took a spoonful of her ice cream. "But he was just more worried about Yuta."

"Why?" Rukia asked.

"I'm sure you guys noticed Yuta's twist spin shot, right?" Hikari answered.

Irime nodded. "It has an incredible bounce. But the posture required to prepare for the shot… it's quite dangerous."

"It would destroy Yuta's shoulder," Hikari supplied.

"Meaning if he uses it too much, he wouldn't be able to play tennis for much longer," Midori picked up on what they were saying. Hikari nodded.

"Wow no wonder Fuji was upset," Rukia remarked.

"There is more to it than just that," Hikari went on. "Mizuki was the one who taught Yuta the move."

"Knowing it would damage his shoulder?" Rukia exclaimed.

"Mizuki is not stupid," Irime answered, although with no intention of defending the St. Rudolph manager. "With his knowledge on tennis, he surely had to know about the consequences of that shot."

"How could he do that?" Midori muttered. "And to his own teammate?"

"Shusuke told me that he tried to warn Yuta about the shot," Hikari continued. "But he seems to have more faith in Mizuki than his own brother. He thought Shusuke was trying to unsettle him or something. Or trying to turn him against Mizuki maybe."

"But they're brothers. How could he think that Fuji would do something like that?" Irime asked, confused.

"They don't get along too well right?" Midori asked Hikari. The brunette nodded. "He was in Seigaku last year I think. Didn't join the tennis team though. That's what I heard."

"Can you blame him?" Rukia asked, popping a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. "I mean, always being known as the 'Tensei's brother.' Probably hated being in Fuji's shadow all the time."

"I've known both of them for a long time and Yuta has always resented his brother ever since they were young," Hikari explained. "He lives in St. Rudolph's dorms because he doesn't want to be at home. According to Fuji, he doesn't visit much either."

"Poor kid," Midori murmured, feeling sympathy for the boy.

"Yeah," Hikari agreed. "I try and stay in touch with him for Shusuke. He wants to know how his brother is doing from time to time, but Yuta, of course, won't talk to him. He does to me though." And then she gave a grin. "And he often asks why I would be with someone like his brother."

The other girls laughed. Then, in an attempt to change the subject, Hikari said, "So I saw you come back to the courts with Tezuka today, Midori. Anything you want to tell us?"

Midori ignored the cheeky tone in her friend's voice as she took out the ice cream box for seconds. "He was just helping me warm up, that's all."

"So there is nothing between you two at all?" Rukia teased as she helped herself to seconds as well.

"Of course not!" Midori replied, defensively.

"That's not what my notebook says," Irime grinned as she flipped through her book. "According to my data, you've had 46 percent more interaction with Tezuka ever since the school year started." Midori glared at the redhead. "Hey don't look at me! It's all in the data," she laughed.

"There is nothing you guys," Midori tried to convince her friends. She didn't want to give them the wrong impression before anything actually even happened between her and Tezuka.

"Oh really? Then how do you explain the late-night walk you had with him?" Hikari grinned.

"Late-night walk?" Midori exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"

"Shusuke saw you two together a couple of nights after the Seigaku festival," Hikari explained.

"A couple of nights after the festival…" Midori tried to remember what her friend was talking about. "Oh! My family was at his house for dinner. Our parents know each other and they invited us. Tezuka and I were just trying to get away from the adults. It was nothing."

"Okay. Then how do you explain the fact that you partnered up with him for the literature essay?" Irime challenged.

"And for Home Economics class?" Rukia added.

They were ganging up on her; she knew she was being cornered. "Alright, fine. Maybe there is something," she admitted quietly. "But I'm not getting my hopes up."

"You would be the luckiest girl in Seishun if Tezuka was yours," Rukia remarked, grinning.

"Luckiest?" Midori asked, incredulously. "Have you not seen the dirty looks I get from his fangirls for simply talking to him?"

"Sayuki Midori, afraid of fangirls?" Hikari grinned. "I thought I'd never see the day."

"You would have nothing to worry about," Irime commented. "No fangirl would dare do anything to you if you're Tezuka's girlfriend. Nobody would, for that matter."

"Alright, enough of all this all hypothetical talk," Midori interjected before Rukia or Hikari could join Irime in all the theorizing. "Nothing has happened and I don't want to get too ahead of myself with too much hope. So let's drop it alright?"

She wasn't sure why, but she didn't feel like telling her friends about the 'incident' in Home Ecs. class. She knew she could trust them all with information like that but still she felt that she couldn't tell them. _Don't get too ahead of yourself, _she told herself firmly. _If Tezuka had wanted to kiss me, he could have. He chose not to, so what more can I expect 'us' to be? …If there is an 'us' at all…_

"Fine, fine," Rukia muttered and they all dropped the topic. Instead she asked, "So why did you give a game away today?"

That diverted attention well. "Yeah! Midori, you out of all people, shouldn't be giving a single game. Especially in the City Tournament. You're of national – level after all," Irime exclaimed.

"We shouldn't be showing any weaknesses," Hikari agreed.

Midori shrugged. "I was just playing around. Relax you guys; we're only in the City Tournament. I know I'm stronger than my opponents and I know I can win. So what's the harm in having a bit of fun right?"

Her friends didn't look so convinced. "Trust me alright? I know when it's time to get serious. I'm just enjoying the game for now."

"Alright," Irime agreed reluctantly, and Hikari and Rukia nodded.

"Anyways, you won't believe who I met today," Midori said as she pulled out more snacks from the cupboards.

"Who?" Rukia asked, pulling open a bag of chips. "Thank god you have some junk," she remarked.

"Haruhi."

"What?" The other girls exclaimed.

"It was when I left to go warm up," Midori explained. "You won't believe it, but she's actually in Hyotei now. She's the captain in fact."

"What the hell?" Hikari looked in disbelief. "How did she – out of all people – get the position?"

"Hyotei have a high standard when it comes to tennis. But Haruhi isn't even that good," Irime remarked, picking up the bag of chips for some.

"The boys do have a high expectation," Midori replied. "But their girls probably don't. Their standards are much lower likely. Anyways, that's not even how she got the spot."

"Murder is my guess," Rukia interjected. "I wonder how many she committed to get what she wanted…"

Midori laughed. "Or she could've done what she always does… or tries at least: seduce."

"What do you mean?" Hikari frowned.

"I mean that Haruhi is now Atobe's girlfriend," she clarified, then added, "…of sorts, at least."

"Typical," Rukia muttered. They all knew how exceptionally 'talented' their blonde enemy was when it came to guys.

Irime shrugged and popped some chips in her mouth. "Whatever. It doesn't affect us at any rate. I'm sure we're much stronger than the Hyotei girls even if they do have Haruhi."

"You're right," Hikari nodded. "It's not she was any help to us anyway. What help could she possibly be for Hyotei too?"

"Forget her," Midori said, and then decided to change the subject. "We really should get started on homework by the way."

"Oh!" Rukia exclaimed all of a sudden. "We have a chemistry test in a few days. Do you have your notes Midori?"

"Yeah, let me get them," Midori said as her friends began taking out their school work. She raced upstairs to her room to find the notes she had promised Rukia. She marched over to her desk, on one side of the room, and sighed mentally. Papers laid everywhere, nearly covering the entire surface. _I really need to clean all this up_, she reminded herself, groaning inwardly. Raking through test papers, line-up sheets, tournament papers, and more, Midori finally found her chemistry notes.

As she was about to leave, something on her bedside table caught her attention. There, her camera lay on top of a large envelope. She walked over to it and realized that it contained the photographs she took during the Seigaku festival. Midori pulled out the photos and looked through them. Grinning, she took them downstairs with her to show her friends.

"Have a look at these," Midori grinned as she set the envelope down on the kitchen island where the girls were. "Oh, and here are the notes," she said, handing them to the brunette.

Irime pulled the photos out and smiled. "Wow these are awesome Midori! Did you take them?"

Midori smiled and nodded as Rukia, Hikari, and Irime poured over the pictures.

"Hey! This one was taken at the booth Inui and I had set up!" Irime grinned as she recognized a photo of her and the other data collector scribbling furiously into their notebooks.

"I remember this one!" Rukia exclaimed, noticing one of the photos. "The gang was arguing about which booths to visit."

"And what are Momo and Ryoma doing with their heads in the garbage cans?" Hikari laughed holding up a picture.

Midori laughed. "They puked after an eating contest. I had to forbid them from going to anymore eating contests after that, or else they would've tried again for sure." The girls laughed.

After twenty minutes of pouring over photographs and laughing, they finally put them away.

"These are great Midori," Rukia smiled. "What do you do with them?"

Midori considered telling her friends about the spare room upstairs, which was like a gallery, of sorts. It contained selected photos that she had printed in different sizes and had put up on the walls. _Like a mosaic, _she grinned to herself. But she had never even told anyone about her collection (besides her parents), let alone allow them to see it. It was like a private sanctuary of hers that would feel disturbed by anyone else's presence.

So, instead she said, "I just keep them around," she smiled. "You know, for memories." It wasn't a complete lie; after all she did keep them around to look back on some day. "Anyways, we still have to finish homework," she changed the subject as she pushed the fat envelope aside.

Rukia groaned. "Anyone want to help me with chemistry?"

"Here," Irime said, cracking open her textbook. "Let's start with…" And the rest of the evening slipped away with their schoolwork.

* * *

**So this one is basically a girls' night kinda thing lol.**

**Sorry, no Tezuka in this chapter. (Spare me! haha).**

**A lot of readers are wondering when he, too, will realize his feelings for Midori. Yes, I'm getting frustrated with him as well lol. But don't worry, it will happen sooner than you guys, I'm sure. Be patient. It'll be worth it, I promise! ^_^**

**Keep the reviews coming, by the way. It's nice to hear feedback. ^_^  
**


	14. Surprise, Surprise

**A/N: Hi hi! I'm updating faster than I expected haha. I had a momentary panic episode a few days ago when I visited Onemanga and found all the manga taken off. Who else had a stroke? Haha.  
**

**To Lone Panda: It wasn't just you that comment was meant towards. Don't worry about it. We're getting closer than you think. ^_^ **

**Enjoy this chapter everyone!  
**

Chapter 14 – Surprise, Surprise

After a grueling hour-long test, the final school bell came as a much appreciated relief. As everyone got up to hand in their test papers, Midori rechecked her answers once more.

"Are you planning on handing it in at all?" She raised her head to see Tezuka collecting his text book and getting up. He had already returned his chemistry test.

Looking around, Midori realized that she was the only one still at her desk; the rest of the class was already lining up at the sensei's desk. "Just double checking," she told him as she, too, collected her things and handed in her test.

Tezuka snorted in disbelief and Midori couldn't help but blink in surprise. Then, she realized that they weren't in hearing range of anyone else. _That's why he's being himself with me,_ she smiled inwardly.

"Double checking?" He repeated skeptically as they walked down the hall to the back exit that led to the tennis courts. "You passed that long time ago. What I saw was more like triple checking."

Midori grinned despite herself and whacked his arm playfully. "Don't make fun of me," she chuckled. "Besides you owe me remember?"

Tezuka raised an eyebrow as they continued down the busy hallway. "Is that a threat?" His tone told her that he was being sarcastic. She laughed and it surprised him how good he felt at being able to do that.

"It could be," she grinned and continued their banter.

"Well then, maybe I should be afraid." Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

"Maybe you should," Midori laughed again but it died quickly as she glanced at a couple of girls hanging out by a classroom door.

Tezuka followed her eyes and saw the group give Midori irritated glares before turning away, whispering to each other as if sharing some deep, dark secret. Returning his eyes back to Midori, he saw her glance away, trying to pretend she didn't notice. "I'm sorry," he said so quietly that she actually turned to look at him. "That's my fault."

"Well there isn't much you could do about it," Midori sighed, giving him a small smile. "It's alright."

"That doesn't exactly ease the guilt," he smirked, trying to lighten the situation. "You still have to put up with those girls just because we're -" he hesitated for a fraction of a second, Midori noticed, "- friends."

"Stop blaming yourself," Midori smiled. "It's not like I don't know what I've gotten myself into."

Tezuka smirked. "Good to know."

They made their way to the courts and separated to their club rooms. As Midori pushed open the door, she was greeted with the usual chatter and banters of the girls.

"That chemistry test was a killer!" Rukia groaned as she changed. "I'll need to boost my mark. Pray I pass!"

"I'm sure you did fine," Hikari tried to assure her friend as she tied her shoes. "After all, you did have Irime tutoring you the other day."

"Midori, there is a change in practice today," Irime said, pulling out her racket.

"No!" Yuki, the spunky second – year exclaimed. "If it's more laps, I swear-"

"Relax, it's not laps," Irime rolled her eyes at the blonde's laziness. "Although, you could really do with some, Yuki. Your stamina still needs work." Yuki mumbled something inaudible before busying herself with her shoes.

"So what is the change?" Midori asked as she changed.

"We're doing mixed doubles today."

"What?" There were several gasps from around the room.

"We're pairing up with the boys?" Yuri timidly piped in.

Irime nodded. "It was the coach's idea. Now come on you guys; there are still the usual laps to do before we start playing."

* * *

The girls piled outside and ran the laps they were assigned before coach Ryuzaki called them back with the boys. "Alright, I'm sure Inui and Irime have already informed you that we'll be trying something new today: mixed doubles. This is just a trial to see how well you can work together and if you can improve by partnering up. Inui, Irime, would you please explain?"

"Certainly," Inui stepped up with the redhead. "We have paired everyone up according to skill and technique to help each other improve."

Irime flipped to a page in her notebook. "The first pair will be Eiji and Yuri. You two will be in court A and your opponents will be Taka and Keiko."

"Alright! Let's win this Yuri-chan!" Eiji jumped in excitement and dragged the timid girl along to their assigned court, followed by their opponents.

"In court B, we'll have Oishi and Rukia against Fuji and Hikari," Inui announced. "And lastly, Momo and Ann, you'll be playing Kaido and Yuki on court C."

As the assigned pairs headed off to their courts, Midori said, "So that leaves the five of us." She eyed Tezuka, the two data collectors, Ryoma, and herself.

"I don't like doubles," Ryoma said. "So if I can be excused," and he began walking away.

"Where do you think you're going?" coach Ryuzaki pulled the first – year back before he could get too far. "You still have to practice. Go and practice with some of the other members on one of the empty courts."

"Fine," the short kid mumbled and walked off.

"So that leaves the four of us," Irime said. "Sadaharu and I are partnering up of course against the two of you."

Tezuka and Midori exchanged glances and before they could say much, coach Ryuzaki said, "I'll be up in my office if you need anything. I have Mr. Inoue from Pro Tennis Monthly coming today."

"Come on, let's play already," Midori grinned as they reached court D.

"I'll start at the baseline," Tezuka announced as he took his position. Midori shrugged and took her spot at the net with Irime facing her.

"I can't wait to kick my buchou's ass," the redhead grinned.

Midori laughed. "We'll see about that."

From the baseline, Inui served a fast ball that led to an ace. "15 – love."

"Smooth," Midori commented. "Was that the Super Sonic Serve?"

Irime grinned as they served again. "Told you we'd kick your ass."

"It's too early to predict anything Irime," Midori smirked and returned the serve.

Inui, with the use of his data, hit the ball to Tezuka who shot it right down the middle of the court. At the front, Irime got to it and volleyed. "30 – love."

The ball bounced gently at Midori's feet. She had been running to catch up to it but with her data, Irime was faster and knew that her captain had trouble with volley shots. Midori turned around to give a 'sorry' look to her partner.

"I'm up front during our serve," he said and Midori couldn't argue with him. _I really hate volleys_, she groaned to herself.

The two data collectors ended up winning the first game but that didn't set Tezuka and Midori back. During their service, Tezuka took to the net while Midori stood on the baseline. As she shot the ball in the air, she smirked. _They should _all_ be surprised with this._

The ball crossed the net and as Irime was about to get to it, it rolled away from her. "15 – love." She stood there stunned; even Sadaharu had frozen. Tezuka turned around to face her and for a fair second, even he appeared in shock. "My Zeroshiki serve?"

Midori smirked at him. "I picked up some tricks," she shrugged as if it was no big deal. "Hope you don't mind?"

The look in his hazel eyes told her that he was holding back a smirk. "If it helps us win this, then not at all."

As the game continued, Midori demonstrated that she had learned quite a few shots she hadn't told them about. The initial shock of her partner and opponents continued when she performed the Split Step, and even a basic version of the Tezuka Zone. However, Tezuka and Midori still lost to the two data collectors. In the end, Irime and Inui were still the better team overall.

"Congratulations," Tezuka said as they all shook hand by the net.

"Yeah, you guys were a lot tougher than we expected," Midori added. "Have you two partnered up before?" she asked Irime as they separated from the boys to get a drink.

Irime nodded as she tied up her dark auburn hair. "A couple of times, for a few pick up games on the street courts."

"No wonder you two are good," Midori grinned as she took a drink from her water bottle. "And I'm sure you guys already had data on me and Tezuka too."

Irime grinned cheekily in response. "Come on; let's see how the others are doing."

They made their way to the other courts and realized that Fuji and Hikari were simply dangerous together; they learned that the two tenseis hadn't given up a single point since the beginning of the game. _Wow,_ Midori blinked in surprise, _I wouldn't want to be playing them. Poor Oishi and Rukia._

"Burning!" The loud yell distract them from the tenseis' game.

"AHH!" Midori saw Eiji scream and run away from Taka's Hadoukyuu. "Taka! Ease up on the 'Burning!' will you?" The bouncy redhead hollered.

"But you didn't even try to return it?" Keiko crossed her arms and glared impatiently at Eiji.

"Are you kidding?" Eiji gawked in astonishment. "That shot could kill somebody! No thanks; we'd rather let you win that try dying ourselves, right Yuri-chan?"

Yuri blushed but nodded nonetheless.

Keiko puffed her cheeks. "Oh stop exaggerating Eiji!" she said impatiently.

Before Eiji could argue again, Yuki spoke up. "Sorry Keiko, but Eiji-kun is right."

"See!" Eiji glared at Keiko childishly.

From next to Midori, Irime sighed in defeat at the scene. "I'm going to check how the rest of training is going okay?"

Midori nodded and moved on to court C to see how the second years were holding up. The scoreboard read '5 games to 3 – Momo and Ann leading.'

"Stay out of my way in the next game," Kaido glared at his partner Yuki. She glared back and popped her usual bubblegum. "And stop doing that!" Kaido yelled, irritated with her.

"Why? Does it bother you?" Yuki said sardonically, popping her gum yet again, knowing well that it did annoy him.

"She's doing her best to provoke him, isn't she?" Midori heard Tezuka approach her.

She couldn't help but grin. "Well, that's Yuki for you." She then sighed in defeat. "Only if she tried to actually work with him rather than against him."

As they watched their kouhais play, Midori couldn't help but say, "Wow, they really do suck. They're worse than us!"

Tezuka gave her a small smirk and, out of nowhere, Midori felt a blush creep onto her face. _What is wrong with me?_ She groaned inwardly, not understanding why she was acting like this all of a sudden. _One minute I'm fine and another minute I start blushing?_

Tezuka's smirk grew a little wider when he saw her slightly pink face. He had seen many girls blush in his presence; one even fainted, he remembered, when he was shirtless at the beach. But never had he been more amused than he was now; the fact that he could make Sayuki blush at random was funny yet quite surprising. _A good surprise of course,_ he thought holding in a smile.

"Sorry," Midori said, avoiding his eyes. "For the match today, I mean. That must've been your first lose in a while."

"Yeah," Tezuka admitted frankly and Midori, like usual, repressed the urge to call him arrogant. "But this was our first time playing together so it's justifiable. So when did you learn my Zeroshiki serve anyway?"

Midori smiled, knowing that he would ask sooner or later. "I saw you use it many times you know? I just kept practicing. But your Zone is a lot harder, I have to say. That one took me the entire summer vacation to get the basics down."

"I can help you improve it," he offered, "if you want?"

Midori glanced at him and blinked in surprise. "Really? Wow, that'd be great! – I mean – sure, that'd be cool." She tried to shrug off her moment of enthusiasm meanwhile silently berating herself for acting like one of his fangirls.

If Tezuka had not been in public, he would've allowed himself to laugh right out. But his years of careful control paid off as he held his laughter in. "But it'll cost you," he added.

Midori frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, you do have that bet you won the other day," he suggested.

Midori sighed. "Fine. I'll use it now then."

"Hey Midori! Tezuka!" They turned their heads to see Rukia calling them all of a sudden. "Coach wants to see you two."

Midori threw a questioning glance at Tezuka. "No idea," he shrugged and led the way upstairs to coach Ryuzaki's office.

* * *

Upstairs…

"You wanted to see us coach?" Midori poked her head in the office.

"Yes, come in you two," coach Ryuzaki motioned them in. As they entered, they realized that they were not alone. A tall man in a shirt and tie sat in one of the seats across the coach's desk. "You both know Mr. Inoue from Pro Tennis Monthly, right?" She did not wait for an answer. "Well he was just visiting and he saw you two play doubles outside," she jerked a thumb behind her to the window, which had a clear view of the courts, "and he would like to suggest you two to a mixed doubles training camp, if you'd like."

Midori and Tezuka exchanged glances. "But coach we lost. I don't know if we're good enough for a training camp," Midori said, hesitantly.

Mr. Inoue spoke up. "Yes, you lost. But nonetheless, you two work very well together and definitely have the skills to be in this camp. And besides, the point of this camp is to help you improve."

The two students exchanged doubtful glances again and Mr. Inoue noticed. "You must have some questions, surely. Let me explain. This camp is for mixed – doubles pairs to improve. The board running this program is the same one that runs the Senbatsu camp and they will pay for all accommodations and expenses. They have invited a few mixed – doubles pairs from several high schools across the country. Rikkai, Shitenhouji, Hyotei, etc. They will all be there training alongside you."

"But what about the City Tournament finals?" Tezuka asked.

"The camp will be held after the City finals," coach Ryuzaki explained. "However it will end before the start of the Kantou Tournament, so no need to worry."

"But what about schoolwork?" Midori mentioned. "Not that I'm complaining," she grinned briefly, "but we would still need to catch up on what we missed while at this camp, right?"

"That is no problem," Mr. Inoue answered. "The camp directors don't want the participants to fall behind on their schoolwork of course. For that reason, they've asked teachers to give all the students homework packages. It's not like you'll be training all day, so you will get time to catch up on your schoolwork."

"Do not worry about that," the coach said. "I will notify your teachers in advance."

Midori glanced at her partner. "What do you think?" she asked hesitantly. "I'm up for it if you are."

Tezuka nodded. "It seems like a good opportunity to improve." He looked at the adults. "Yes, we accept this invitation. Thank you."

Mr. Inoue smiled. "Alright then. I will notify the camp directors," he said, standing up to shake hands with them all. "I will stay in touch with you, coach Ryuzaki, on this matter. See you later."

He left the room and Midori and Tezuka followed. "Well this should be fun," Midori grinned, once they returned outside.

Tezuka nodded. "We could really use some improvement," he said.

Midori sighed. "I was talking about the 'getting away from school' part. But sure," she said sarcastically, "days of difficult training sounds fun too."

"The best part for sure," he replied with equal sarcasm. Midori laughed and the two eventually separated to go to their clubrooms: practice was now over.

The usual chatter of the girls drifted over her as Midori the room. "Buchou, I want a new partner!" Yuki demanded childishly. "Why am I stuck with that stupid snake?"

"Because it will help you improve your lack of stamina," Midori answered as stowed her racket back in her tennis bag. "Kaido is very good during endurance matches. I know you don't think it will help but trust me, it's for your own good. And for that reason, no, you can't have a new partner."

"But-" Yuki frowned and began to argue.

"Relax Yuki, you won't be partnering up with Kaido all the time," Irime said. "This was just for practices."

"Fine," Yuki mumbled, knowing that she had lost the argument with her buchou.

"Hey, what did coach want to talk to you about?" Hikari asked, joining Midori and Irime.

"Some mixed – doubles training camp," Midori replied. "She wanted Tezuka and me to attend." She saw her friends exchange excited glances. "Why do you ask?" she asked suspiciously.

"Because we were asked to attend too," Irime grinned. "Sadaharu and me, and Hikari and Fuji, I mean."

"Are you serious?" Midori gasped. "Wow, that's great!"

"I can't wait!" Hikari grinned. "We get to spend some time away from school!"

"We still get schoolwork you know," Midori said matter-of-factly.

"Gee, way to burst my bubble," Hikari said sarcastically. Laughing, Midori apologized.

"On a more serious note," Irime said. "What about the team? And practices?"

"Don't worry, Rukia and Oishi will be able to manage both teams just fine," Hikari answered. "And besides, the coach is still here to look after everything."

Before Midori could reply, Ann suddenly rushed over to her. The expression on her face told Midori that something was definitely not right. "What's wrong, Ann?" she asked seriously.

"Buchou, oh god!" The second – year was surely panicking as she clutched to her cell phone.

She was worrying everyone in the room, Midori included. "Calm down," she instructed, placing both hands on her arms. "What's happened? For you to getting so alarmed like this…"

"It's Fudomine," she said, almost trembling in Midori's arms. "Th-they got into a car accident." The girls gasped with shock and concern. "I-I just got a call right now. I-I have to go buchou."

"My house is really close by. I can get the car and drive you to the hospital," Hikari said calmly but seriously as she stood up. She glanced at Midori, sensing her worry. "Don't worry, I can take her."

Midori nodded. "Fill us in after about what happened," she said as the two girls grabbed their tennis bags and rushed out.

"I hope Fudomine is alright," Irime murmured, concern evident on her face, as with everyone else there. Midori slumped down next to her and nodded without a word.

* * *

**So here we are to the end of another chapter. I think this is my longest one yet lol.  
**

** Who else wants to see Tezuka shirtless at the beach? Haha. So Tezuka, Midori, and friends will be heading to a camp after the finals. Let's see what comes of it... ^_^**

**I added the Fudomine accident bit (I want to stick to the original plotline if possible while adding my own subplots). Quite a sad ending to an otherwise 'happy' chapter lol. Anyways, see you next time. Treat me with REIVEWS! ^_^**


	15. Camp Day 0

**A/N: Hello folks! I know it's been a while but grade 11 is a killer! _ Anyways, I hope I haven't lost readers due to lack of updates for this fic. Thank you so much for having patience with me. **

**I'm sure many of you may have forgotten what has happened in Till the Pages Fade (it's been a while since I looked at it myself lol). So far, the gang at Seishun has won the City Tournament (against Yamabuki) and found out that some of them will be going to a mixed-doubles training camp. That includes Midori, Tezuka, and their friends Fuji, Hikari, Irime, and Inui. That leaves us here. So now, without further delay, here is chapter 15! ^_^**

Chapter 15 – Camp Day 0

Several days after Midori, Tezuka, and their friends discovered that they would be going to a mixed – doubles training camp, they also ended up winning the City Tournament. Yamabuki had put a tough match for them but eventually Seishun had come through with the win. Now came the day that they would be going to the camp.

It was quite early in the morning when Midori's car pulled into the school's fairly empty parking lot. _Well it's 6:30 a.m. Right on time_, she thought as she checked her watch and parked. Her parents were finally getting a free day from work and had slept in. She didn't want to disturb them and so decided to simply take the car herself.

_How I'm going to get it back to them was another problem,_ she thought as she sat in the silent car. Coach Ryuzaki said that there would be a coach bus to pick them up and they wouldn't be returning until the end of the camp. _Ugh!_ Midori groaned to herself. _I should've thought of this beforehand._

"Midori, is that you?" She heard a girl's voice call her. Stepping out, she saw Irime and Hikari getting out of a car. "Later guys! See you soon!" Hikari grinned at her parents before they waved goodbye and drove off. They dropped their duffle and tennis bags into the backseat of Midori's car. "Man, those were heavy," Hikari panted as she shut the door.

"Where is coach Ryuzaki?" Irime asked glancing around the parking lot.

"I don't know," Midori shrugged. "We are on time after all."

"There come the boys," Hikari jerked a thumb at the entrance of the lot. A black car pulled in and parked a few spots away from Midori's car. It was better looking then Midori's, which she considered pretty decent. But she could tell that this one was easily a class above. It wasn't ostentatious or anything fancy (_Nothing like what Atobe probably drives_, Midori thought with a smirk) but it was good looking nonetheless.

Out of the driver's seat stepped out none other than Tezuka, followed by Fuji and Inui from the back. Hikari and Irime went to chat with the boys while Midori held back until she and Tezuka were standing far away enough to talk privately. "That's your car?" Midori asked, eyeing the vehicle.

He nodded, smirking. "My parents gave it to me when they bought their own. I don't really need to use it much though."

Then an idea occurred to her. "How are you getting it back to your house?"

Tezuka glanced at her car. "You haven't thought of that, have you?"

"No," Midori admitted, trying not to blush as he smirked at her.

"Call one your friends," he said. "Get them to drive it back. Oishi isn't going to the camp so he's going to drop it off at my house after school."

"Thanks," Midori grinned as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Rukia's number and requested a favor from her.

"There you guys are." They all spun around to find coach Ryuzaki walking towards them from the school building. "Everyone here?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Alright. The coach bus will be here in a few minutes. And here are your schoolwork packages. I was just collecting them from your teachers." She handed each of them a thick, large envelope. "Everything is inside. And it is expected to be finished by the time you're back."

"Great," Midori heard Hikari murmur as she examined the weight of her envelope.

"Rukia? Oishi? What are you guys doing here?" Fuji asked when she saw the two teens approaching the group.

Rukia looked dead tired as she rubbed sleep out of her eyes. "You got me out of bed so early! We don't even have practice," she mumbled as she took the car keys from her buchou. "You so owe me!"

"Thanks so much," Midori grinned as she hugged her friend. "And yes, I totally owe you. I'll treat you to ice cream when I get back." Have to get out of bed so early to get car keys would've definitely annoyed Midori, had it been her, and so she had to owe her friend for doing that for her.

"Alright, the coach bus is here," coach Ryuzaki announced as the bus pulled into the lot. As they began to haul their duffle and tennis bags onto the bus, she said, "This is the bus' first stop. It's going to stop at several other schools in the Tokyo area to pick up other students as well. There will still be plenty of empty seats nonetheless, so help yourself I guess."

Midori climbed on to see rows of twos on each side of the aisle. She walked farther in and chose a seat several rows ahead of the very last one. _This one seems right,_ she thought as she stowed her tennis bag away in the compartment on top. Out of the window she noticed coach Ryuzaki had gotten off and was now waving at them. All around the bus, the five other Seishun players were settling in as they pleased. Tezuka had picked the pair of seats right across the aisle from her and Midori couldn't help but smirk.

As she reached up to stow her duffle bag in her compartment, the bus gave an unexpected lurch. It began to move and Midori lost her balance. She gasped in surprise as her back hit something smooth but warm and firm arms wrapped around her waist, preventing her from falling.

"You okay?" Midori's heart skipped a beat when she heard Tezuka's voice and a blush crept onto her cheeks when she realized the kind of position they were standing in.

"Uh… y-yeah," she stammered as Tezuka slowly let go of her and brought her to balance. For a second, she couldn't help but wish they could've stayed in that stance longer… with her back to his warm chest and his arms around her… _What the hell am I thinking?_ She told herself. _Snap out of it!_

She turned slight away to hide her increasingly glowing face and saw Hikari and Fuji smirking and exchanging knowing glances. She glared at them when they caught her eye, silently threatening them to stop whatever they were thinking about the incident immediately.

Turning back around, Midori saw Tezuka stowing her duffle bag up for her. "Thanks," she mumbled, trying not to meet his eyes, for fear that she might end up blushing even more.

"No problem," he replied as Midori took her seat, choosing the one by the window. Tezuka returned to his seat across the aisle from her and stared out the window as the bus moved through the streets of the city.

Midori sighed and pulled out Pride and Prejudice and began reading where she had left off. But she couldn't get far as her four other teammates plopped themselves on the seats in front of her and Tezuka. _They're never going to let me finish_; she sighed and closed the book.

"So do you guys know who else might be coming?" Fuji asked, smiling as always.

"Coach didn't say anyone in particular," Tezuka answered. "Just a few pairs from several schools."

Midori nodded. "But I was talking to the Yamabuki girls' captain after my match against her. She said that she was also invited; Sengoku's her partner."

"Yuta is also coming by the way," Hikari said, glancing at Fuji.

Fuji's smile faded slightly but then returned to normal quickly. "Well I never expected him to tell me anyways. At least he told you," he smiled at Hikari. "Who is his partner anyways?"

"Some second – year girl," Hikari grinned. "He wouldn't tell me who though. I'm guessing it's probably Hajime's cousin."

"Yeah," Irime nodded. "She's in second – year."

"Fudomine don't have a girls' team so they won't be coming," Inui said. "What happened to them anyways? I heard that they were in an accident."

"Didn't you take Ann-chan to the hospital the other day?" Fuji asked, turning to Hikari.

Hikari nodded. "I talked to Keppei there. He said only four of his teammates were in the taxi that crashed. Don't worry; the injuries are only minor according to the doctors. They said the boys will surely recover before the Kantou Tournament."

"Well that's good news," Irime commented. "How's Ann doing?"

Hikari hesitated. "I told Rukia not to get mad at her if she doesn't show up to practice for a while," she told Midori, who nodded understandingly.

"We're at Yamabuki," Tezuka announced as the bus rolled into a school parking lot. Everyone turned to the front to see Sengoku and his partner Eriko step on board. "Hi guys!" They grinned happily as they settled in for the ride.

Soon after, they were joined by Mizuki, Yuta, and their partners from St. Rudolph. Everyone on the bus could tell that the tension had risen when the Fuji brothers saw each other; Yuta had glared stiffly at his smiling brother before stalking off to find a seat far away from him. Mizuki, who had witnessed the whole scene, gave Fuji an arrogant smirk before following Yuta. And their partners tagged along without a word; although Midori was happy to see that Ayami had given her a smile and therefore returned it.

No one on the bus could deny that it had gotten slightly awkward with the addition of Yuta and Mizuki (mostly the latter, everyone seem to agree). But it was nothing compared to when they pulled into the Hyotei parking lot.

Everyone glanced to the front to see who was joining them – even Noriko (Mizuki's partner), who, Midori had noticed, always appeared uninterested in anything anyone had to say. The doors of the bus opened, and in stepped Yuushi, his girlfriend and partner Satomi, who all the girls at Seigaku regarded as the best singles female player at Hyotei, Choutarou, and a second–year that Midori recognized as Himeko.

The various conversations on the bus seemed to lower down to quiet whispers, making it awkward when the Hyotei players filed through to get seats. Everyone just glanced nervously at each other, unsure of what to say – if to say anything at all.

The whole bus, Midori included, was relieved when Sengoku cleared his throat and spoke. "So is it just two pairs from Hyotei?" he asked, attempting to make a conversation. "Coach Banda said he expected at least three from your school."

"Yeah, there are," Choutarou answered. "What about you guys? Is it only you and Eriko from Yamabuki?" Midori immediately liked the second-year. _At least he's nice enough to try and make a conversation. Unlike them_, she glanced at Yuushi, Satomi, and Himeko, who appeared aloof and mainly kept to themselves.

Hyotei was their last stop, the driver announced, and now they were heading to the camp. The ride was long and tiring (mostly because they had woken up so early), but everyone settled in and were enjoying themselves with games, music, and chitchats.

Midori sat by her window seat, reading her book and occasionally watching the change of scenery outside (by the looks of it, they were now away from the city and into light forest-like areas). Sometimes she couldn't help but sneak glances at Tezuka either; little did she know that he had not missed them.

He smirked inwardly every time her eyes fleeted to have a look at him. But it also made him question himself. _Why do I even care?_ Why did the glimpses of one girl matter so much to him? He had received countless glances and had been checked out by almost every girl at school. _Is Sayuki any different?_ The way his heart pounded harder whenever he thought of her was a clear enough answer. _Would I ever say what I'm thinking?_ Again his heart thumped harder in his chest. And for the next several hours of the ride, Tezuka silently debated with himself.

* * *

It was around 6 p.m. by the time he got himself to turn to Midori. When he looked, he caught her eye, and she gave him a smile. One that made him wish he _had_ kissed her in Home Economics and that, today, she could've perhaps been his.

He opened his mouth to speak when someone shouted, "Look! We're here!" Tezuka and Midori both glanced around and realized that they had, in fact, reached the camp. Everyone cheered as they got up, hastily collected their belongings, and waited to get off the bus.

"What were you about to say?" Midori asked Tezuka when he pulled down her duffle and tennis bags for her.

"Nothing important." He didn't meet her eye as he grabbed his own bags. Midori immediately saw threw his lie and stared at him skeptically but decided to drop it eventually.

Because they had picked seats at the back of the bus, there were the last to get off. As Midori stepped out, her eyes widened and she suddenly stopped in her tracks. "What is it?" Tezuka, who stood behind her, asked when she didn't move.

"Huh? Oh, sorry," she glanced back and stepped aside to allow him to see.

There, a few yards in front of them, stood a brand new convertible followed by a jet black car which looked like something the Queen would travel in. It was, therefore, no surprise when Atobe stepped out of the first car with Haruhi. Two men dressed as drivers came out of the other vehicle and began taking out luggage from the back.

Many other busses were also parked, they noticed, and from them emerged students from various different high schools across Japan. "Typical Atobe," some of them muttered as they passed by. All across the parking lot, people were shaking their heads in dismay.

"Are they even allowed to do that?" Midori asked, disgusted by the ostentation of wealth and luxury.

Tezuka shrugged. "When you're rich, I guess you can get away with pretty much anything. And besides, this is Atobe. Did you expect any less?"

Before Midori could answer, Atobe and Haruhi caught their eye. Atobe smirked at them as he tossed his keys to one of the drivers, and Haruhi clutched her boyfriend's hand possessively as they made their way to the main camp building. The other driver followed behind, carrying two pairs of the usual tennis and duffle bags, although one was in a hideous shade of pink and significantly larger.

Midori rolled her eyes and sighed; she was determined not to let them get to her. "Come on," she turned to Tezuka, and they, too, made their way to the camp building.

They, along with several other students, were ushered into a large room that looked like a school cafeteria. There were tables fit for six to eight all around, more than enough for what seemed like maybe only forty students in all. A canteen also lined along the back wall of the room, and the warm light of the evening streamed in through large windows on all sides.

"Welcome," a friendly, but imposing voice caught the attention of the gaping students, "to the mixed-doubles training camp." A tall man with dark hair had entered through doors on the opposite side, smiling, followed by two men and women each. "My name is Kurobe-san and I am the head coach here. These are the other camp leaders," he motioned to the four adults who stood behind him. "And we are very excited to have you all here. We hope you will learn and benefit from participating at this camp…"

The man continued with his speech but Midori was no longer paying attention. She glanced around subtly and recognized many of her fellow 'campers,' and by the end of the speech, she had learned that some of the best of the best had been invited to this camp. She had seen Saeki and Umiko, Bunta and Yoko, and Yagyuu and Natsumi, who, Midori knew, were all excellent doubles players. This made her nervous as she realized that she and Tezuka would definitely have to work harder to match up to people who had a great deal of more experience in doubles than them.

Midori's mind had wondered, and it wasn't until Tezuka nudged her gently in the back that she awakened from her trance. "Come on," he said.

"Where are we going?" she asked, but followed nonetheless. All around them, students were walking in their general direction.

"To our dormitories," he answered as they followed everyone up a flight of stairs. "They are giving us a chance to settle in before supper."

Midori nodded as they reached the top of the stairs and filed into a large hallway with doors every few yards on each side. It appeared to look like a normal dorm that she saw in movies.

"Alright." Narita-san, the female camp leader who had been escorting them, came to a halt in front of the group of students. "Now, each door has two names taped on. Find your name and that is your dorm. You have half and hour to settle in. Then you are to come down for the evening meal, after which Kurobe-san will go over some general camp rules. Any questions?" she asked in a professional manner, although one could argue that she sounded dangerously similar to a boot camp instructor.

From somewhere in the crowd of students, Niou raised his hand, and Narita-san turned to him. "Yes, Mr.-"

"Niou," he answered with his usual smirk but was cheeky enough to add a wink as well. "My question: are we sharing rooms with our partners?" He grinned and winked at his partner, Naomi, who threw him a disgusted look and mutter something like 'Why the hell did I agree to this?' Several boys cheered at Niou's suggestion while the girls gave them angry glares.

"No Mr. Niou," Narita-san glared sternly, although he didn't look the slightest bit affected. "You will not be sharing rooms with your partner. They will be right across your room though, sharing with your roommate's partner. Understood?"

"Oh yeah," Niou said casually as if he'd know the woman all his life. "Crystal clear baby."

Narita-san threw him a death glare. "Watch it Mr. Niou, or else you might find yourself running laps before we even reach dinnertime. Now," she said changing the subject, "The bathrooms – which are NOT co-ed – (she glowered at Niou again) are just around the corner, in case anyone was wondering. Alright then, be downstairs for dinner in half and hour."

As she left, students scurried down the halls to find their rooms. Midori, Tezuka, and their friends stuck together as they, too, searched for their dorms. In the first few doors, Irime and Inui found their rooms and, and around the corner came Hikari's and Fuji's. Midori and Tezuka had walked all the way down the last hall, checking every door for their name, but eventually found it on the only remaining one at the very end of the hall.

**Sayuki Midori.** Her name was neatly written next to another. **Sakurai Shiori. **_Sakurai Shiori… I've heard of that name before,_ she thought. Midori glanced at Tezuka. "Well, I'll see you later?"

He appeared as if he wanted to say something but simply nodded and entered his dorm. Midori, slightly confused by his actions, tried to shake off her nervousness as she grabbed the door knob. Swinging it open, she realized that her roommate hadn't arrived yet. The relatively small dorm had two beds on either sides of the room with two bedside tables and lamps.

Midori walked in, straight to the large window on the opposite wall. The window gave a beautiful view of the forest on the backside of the building. Midori smiled. _Not a bad sight to wake up to in the morning,_ she thought.

Suddenly, the sound of the door opening caught her attention. Midori spun around to see a girl with reddish-orange, slightly wavy hair that fell just past her shoulders and eyes that mixed between light purple and grey. She stepped forward smiling. "Hey," she extended a hand, "Nice to finally meet you in person Sayuki."

Midori returned the smile as she finally realized who the girl was. She shook her hand. "And you too, Sakurai. And please, call me by my first name." Midori was acquainted with Shiori Sakurai as she was not only a fellow national-level player but also the captain of Shitenhouji's girls' team.

"Only if you call me by mine," the other girl replied. Midori laughed but agreed. "So which bed is yours?" Shiori asked, glancing between the two currently vacant beds.

"Oh, I haven't chosen. It doesn't matter, have your pick," answered Midori.

"Alright then." Shiori dropped her bags onto the bed on the right of the door and began to unpack some stuff.

"So who's your partner?" Midori asked as she began to unpack as well on the other bed.

"Shiraishi," she answered, but there was a slight irritation in her voice.

Midori frowned, wondering why Shiori was already annoyed with her partner but decided it was none of her business. "Well then I wonder how he's getting along with Tezuka across the hall," she grinned.

Shiori laughed. "They're boys. They'll get along better than most of the girls will probably. Speaking of that," she turned to face her roommate, "I feel bad for whoever is stuck with that Haruhi girl."

Midori turned to face Shiori. "You know her?" she asked, surprised.

Flopping down onto her bed, Shiori said, "Who doesn't? And now that she's dating Atobe, it just adds to her reputation."

Midori rolled her eyes and sat down on her bed as well. "I would've actually felt bad for him if it wasn't for the fact that he keeps showing off his wealth. I'm sure you saw the incident in the parking lot."

"They didn't exactly try to hide it now did they?" Shiori smirked. Midori laughed. "Well I'm going to check on my friends and see how they're doing. If you don't mind, I'll see you later then?"

Midori nodded. "No problem." As her roommate left, she sighed. _If she hates Haruhi, then I'm going to get along with her just fine,_ she smirked. Just then, the door burst open and Hikari and Irime stumbled in. All except one. As usual, Tezuka was missing. _Then again, he's not exactly the 'groupie' type_, she smirked again.

Midori's friends sprawled around the room as if they were all hanging out at home. Sighing mentally, she said, "So what's up with you guys? How are your roommates?"

Irime, who sat on Midori's bed, groaned. "Don't remind me already!"

Immediately, Midori turned to Hikari. "How bad is it?"

"She's stuck with Misaki," Hikari answered, playing with the tennis ball that had rolled out from Midori's tennis bag. "Captain of the girls from Higa, twins with Isaki – also from Higa – and partners with Kite. Oh, and she's a complete stuck-up know-it-all," she added as if it was some minor detail.

Irime huffed. "And her sister keeps coming to our room and they keep babbling about how they're going to win the Nationals this year," she rolled her eyes.

Hikari snorted. "Win the Nationals? They should talk when they actually qualify."

Midori sat down next to Hikari. "What about you? Who's your roommate?"

"Umiko," the brunette answered. "You know her, I'm sure. She's the captain of Rokkaku."

"Hey, isn't she the girl you were telling about a few days ago?" Midori asked. "The one you hung out with over the summer break?"

Hikari grinned. "Yeah, she's dating her partner, Saeki. And well, you guys know Fuji is great friends with him, so the four of us hung out a few times during the break. She's nice, and pretty easy to get along with so I don't mind sharing dorms with her."

Irime groaned and flopped onto Midori's bed. "What the hell am I going to do? I probably won't get one minute of peace in my room!"

"You can come hang out in my room," Hikari offered as she tossed the tennis ball back to Midori. "I'm sure Umiko won't mind. You'll get along with her fine."

"Really?" Irime sat up, eagerly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Hikari smiled. "And my room is pretty close to yours so it won't be a hassle. Speaking of rooms, wow Midori, yours – and Tezuka's too – is so far away from everyone's." She got up and walked over to the window. "But on the plus side, you have an awesome view of the forest in the back."

Irime grinned. "Lucky! All we get are the tennis courts. Did you see them by the way?" she asked them. "They look very high class," she chuckled. "Your roommate seems nice by the way," she turned to Midori, who gave her a confused look. "We met Shiori down the hall when we were coming here; she was visiting Aioki." (A/N: She is Shiori's teammate from Shitenhouji.)

Midori was about to speak when a knock came on the door. "Hey there you all are," Fuji's smiling face peeped in, followed by Inui, and Midori could just make out Tezuka's brown hair in the back. "Come on, dinner starts in a bit."

The girls clambered off Midori's bed and followed the boys down the hall. When Midori got up, she noticed Tezuka still standing by the door. _Was he waiting for me?_ She wondered, smiling.

"Ladies first," he gave her a small smirk as he stepped aside to let her through.

Midori chuckled as she closed the door behind her. "Well, aren't you the gentleman," she remarked teasingly. Tezuka resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "So, how's your room?" she asked as they made their way down the hallway.

"Well, it has four walls, two beds, and a window," he replied sarcastically. "Oh, and it's quite small." Midori laughed and Tezuka couldn't help but be pleased with it.

"That's not what I meant," she grinned. "You know that! I was talking about your roommate. How is it with Shiraishi?"

Like the typical guy reaction, Tezuka merely shrugged. "I don't know. It's good I guess. He's easygoing."

Midori sighed at this reaction. She knew that he wasn't much of a talker and didn't hang out a lot with the guys – _or anybody for that matter_, she realized – but she was still hoping he would make some friends here. Secretly, Midori was hoping that it would loosen him up a bit. She knew, maybe more than anybody in Seigaku, how seriously Tezuka took himself. _He takes everything seriously in fact_, she noted, glancing at his frozen face as they reached the stairs leading to the cafeteria. _It would be good for him to hang out with the guys. Maybe it'll get him to relax more and not always have his guard so high up._

As they entered the cafeteria, they got in line for their food and then grabbed seats at an empty table. As Midori began eating, she noticed Hikari seating with Fuji and their two friends from Rokkaku. The brunette caught her eye and saw that she was sitting alone with Tezuka. Midori was thankful that Tezuka's back was to Hikari and therefore, couldn't see the knowing grin plastered over her face.

Midori turned her attention back to Tezuka, with hopes that Hikari would stop grinning at her like that. "So, did you see the players here?" she asked as they ate. "I mean – Yagyuu and Natsumi, and Sanada and Azumi. They're serious competition and I hate to admit it, but we're not even that good."

"You're right," Tezuka answered, swallowing another bite. "But I guess the whole point of this camp is to improve. And we can't do that unless we play stronger opponents."

Midori nodded in agreement. And then something suddenly struck her. "Weren't you going to help me practice the Tezuka Zone?" she asked, popping in another piece of food.

"First of all," he said in between chews, "yes, I did promise to help you with that. I'm not sure when but maybe the coaches can give us some free practice time. And second of all," he swallowed, "Who came up with that name? It makes my technique sound ridiculous."

Midori laughed. "It's definitely better than Eiji's 'bazooka.' So I wouldn't complain if I were you."

"If I ever find out who it was," he replied, "remind me to order at least 100 laps."

Midori gasped and gave him a fake shocked stare. "Mr. Tezuka Kunimitsu," she said in a mock professional tone. "May _I_ remind _you_ that would be considered abusing your power as captain?"

As Tezuka rolled his eyes, Midori couldn't help but grin. "I would like to consider it more as a 'disciplinary action' rather than 'abuse of power' if you don't mind," he retorted sarcastically.

Midori could barely stop laughing until Kurobe-san stood up from the coaches' table to address the students. "I hope you have all enjoyed your meal," he smiled, his eyes gliding over all the tables. "Now before you all head up to bed for the night, I would like to go over how this camp is going to work and what the daily routines shall be."

The students glanced at each other curiously before the coach continued. "First of all, there are 20 double pairs here so we have divided you all up into 5 groups. Each group will train, exercise, and practice together. The daily training menu will be posted on the board outside by the courts every morning. Practice begins at 7 o'clock so that means everyone is to be up by 6 sharp."

Students all around groaned but Kurobe-san simply smiled. "That's the way it is folks, take it or leave it. And I'm sure none of you want to leave," he smirked. "Now, where was I… oh yes! Morning practice will consist of training and exercises, and afternoon practice will be for matches. Of course, you will get time in between for lunch and rest," he added. Kurobe-san then turned around to the coaches' table. "Narita-san, would you please explain the camp rules?"

Coach Narita nodded and stood up. "We would like you all to enjoy this camp and learn from it," she said, although her sharp tone seemed to say the opposite. "But we do have some house rules. First of all, you're all older students, so I'm sure you know what is expected of you and what sort of behavior is prohibited. That, I will not go over again. The only thing I'd like to emphasize is that there is to be no foul play – on or off the court!" She put strict emphasize on the last bit. "Doing so can lead to expulsion from the camp."

Again, more nervous glances were exchanged by the students. "Now the house rules," she continued, almost glaring at the apprehensive faces. "Everyone is to eat here in the cafeteria; however if you are hungry after meals, you are welcome to come down and grab something from the canteen yourself. Other than tennis, there are of course other activities for you here as well. There is a recreational room leading from the main hall; you can have a look after if you'd like. We also have a swimming pool and a basketball court for your enjoyment."

Narita-san turned to Kurobe-san, "I believe that is all," she said.

Kurobe-san nodded. "Yes, but I would just like to add something. Homework, I'm aware that all of you have been assigned, is also expected to be finished. We do not want you to fall behind in your studies when you return to school, so please be aware of your responsibilities." He glanced over everyone. "I believe that is all," he smiled. "I hope you have a good night sleep. See you all tomorrow."

And with that the coaches left, leaving the students to do as they wished until curfew.

* * *

**Wow that was longer than I expected haha. But I guess you guys deserve it for having to wait so long. ^_^**

**Many new characters are introduced in this chapter but no guarantees on how great a role each will play. I hope you like the new OC, Shiori! ^_^ And although we haven't seen Shiraishi yet, we will be introduced to him sometime soon.  
**

**So what do you guys think about this chapter? I think I'm falling all over again for Tezuka haha. I love his sarcastic side.**

**Anyways, please REVIEW! I'll be very happy to know that people are still sticking with Midori and Tezuka. ^_^  
**


	16. Camp Day 1

**A/N: Hmm, how should I start? Okay, how about... Dear readers, I'm so so so sorry for this extremely late update. Yes, I know -_- , I'm so evil for keeping everyone in suspense but trust me, it was killing me too lol. Some of you have been wondering if I'm planning on continuing this fic (my late updates do raise suspicion of that lol) but yes. I am very much planning on writing the rest of Tezuka and Midori's story. Please just be patient with me. Right now, I'm just gonna give the usual excuses of school and exams and cut it short haha. Hope this chapter makes up for the waiting. Enjoy! ^_^**

Chapter 16 – Camp Day 1

"WAKE UP!" Coach Narita's booming voice brought Midori to shoot straight out of bed the next morning. "Get up now girls!"

Midori shuffled around in bed, confused by her surroundings. "Where am I?" she muttered. The bed she was on was not hers, the sheets that covered her were not her usual pastel green ones, and the plain room was definitely not her bedroom.

"You're at camp sleepyhead." Midori turned to her right to see a girl with messy reddish-orange hair and sleepy purplish-grey eyes slowing climbing out of bed. Shiori. Her roommate. Midori groaned as everything flooded back to her. No, she was not at home in her comfy bed, sleeping in for the morning. She was at the mixed-doubles training camp, out in the middle of nowhere.

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that," Midori smiled, still not fully awake as she tied up her messy black hair and slowly shuffled out of bed. "What time is it anyways?"

"6 a.m.," Shiori answered yawning. "We'd better get ready before-"

"Sayuki! Sakurai!" Coach Narita banged on their door. "You girls will be running extra laps if you don't get out of bed now!"

"We're up!" Shiori yelled back, rolling her eyes as she shuffled through her duffle bag. In a lower voice she said, "Tell me again why she signed up for this?"

Midori laughed as she rummaged through her bag as well for her tennis uniform. "Cause we thought it was going to be 'fun and good practice too?'"

Shiori sighed as she got up with her clothes and other things in hand. "Well it's definitely not going to be fun witnessing the catfight probably taking place in the girls' bathroom. Come on," she said, leading the way out.

* * *

After breakfast, the girls found themselves joining everyone by the tennis courts. Shiori went off to her friends while Midori slipped through the crowd to join Tezuka. But before she could get even a 'hi' in, coach Narita, who stood in the front, began talking.

"Today, we're going to start with a warm up. Normally that would mean laps," everyone groaned and for a second, Midori thought she saw the ghost of a smile on the coach's face, "but this _is_ a camp so we're going to do something more outdoors-y."

Kurobe-san, who had joined them while coach Narita was instructing, stepped in. "We're going to have a foot race through the woods to warm up instead of the usual laps," he announced.

Midori exchanged skeptical glances with Tezuka, who shrugged. "Seems interesting," he said, considering the idea.

"The objective is simple: you and your doubles partner are going to be handcuffed, and together you must race through the woods to find the key to unlock it. Each handcuff will have its own specific key; they will match by color," Kurobe-san explained.

From somewhere behind Midori and Tezuka, Kenya, from Shitenhouji, raised his hand. "Uh, how far are we going to have to run?" he asked, eying the woods skeptically. "I mean we're in the middle of nowhere; the woods seem to extend on forever."

Next to him stood his partner, Aioki. "Oh Kenya, just say it if you're afraid to go in the woods," she teased, causing him to blush and the crowd to start laughing.

"Don't worry Kenya," Shiraishi said from next to him, "Aioki-chan will hold your hand." With that, the laughing turned to full-out guffawing with a mix of wolf whistling.

Aioki turned beet red. "Shut up Shiraishi," she snapped, folding her hands over her chest and turning away from the boys.

Kurobe-san, who had stood silently, amused by the campers' squabbles, finally stepped in. "Alright, enough already," he said, although he himself was having trouble wiping the grin off his face. "Kenya makes a good point. The camp's property is quite extensive but you will only be racing west," he pointed, "and the woods there do not extend on forever. You will come across a cliff and that is as far as you're to go. Each of your keys are rung around a separate tree – the last row of trees before the cliff, I should specify," he said.

Midori let the idea sink in. this was the most unusual practice she'd ever heard of but then again, it sounded a lot more fun than laps around the courts.

"Coach," Hikari called from the crowd. "This _is_ a race, so what do the winners get?" The students instantly began murmuring.

"Ah, another good question," Kurobe-san smiled. "Let's see… how about the winners get to pick what they want the chefs to make for dessert tonight?"

Immediately, the crowd cheered. "Sweet!" Midori saw Fuji high-five Hikari and knew that they would probably be eating his favorite pie if they won.

"Alright campers," coach Narita said, leading the group to the edge of the woods. "Follow me." After being handcuffed, the students took the starting position at the edge of the woods.

"Ready?" Tezuka asked Midori as they placed one foot in front of the other, preparing to sprint as fast as they could.

Midori smirked. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Suddenly, coach Narita blew the whistle and the race was on. Midori and Tezuka dashed into the woods, and it was like nothing she'd ever experienced. The crisp air against her face, the crunching of leaves beneath her feet, the smell of the damp, dark soil. _Yup, _she thought, smiling. _Nothing like I've ever experienced._

Being a city girl all her life, outdoor things never came easily to her. She'd in fact always tired to avoid it whenever her parents suggested it, which was not often considering they themselves were city folks all their lives too. But there was this sense of natural beauty which Midori had never seen or felt before. It tempted her to stop in her tracks and admire the forest, and she almost would have if not for the fact that one of her hands was attached to Tezuka.

"Come on," Tezuka took her handcuffed hand in his, making Midori blush even though her cheeks were already pink running. "There is a team right ahead, we can overtake them."

Working together to avoid tree branches and rocks on the ground, they sprinted pass what looked like Bunta and his partner Yoko, and even overtook Zaizen and Rei from Shitenhouji. Deeper and deeper into the forest they ran, losing sight of almost all the other campers, until finally, Midori said, "We're almost there," noticing that the woods were thinning out ahead. They were just meters away from the cliff when Tezuka suddenly halted, causing her to collide with him. Midori lost balance and was about to fall, but thankfully Tezuka caught her before she hit the ground and brought him down with her.

"Sorry," he said, allowing himself a smile, "I just saw our key. Didn't mean to scare you."

"Too late," Midori grinned. "So where is our key?"

"This way." He tugged her to a large old tree several meters left of the cliff. Tied around it was a green key that matched their green handcuff. With Midori's help, Tezuka quickly untied the key and unlocked their hands.

"Do you think we're in the lead?" he asked, rubbing his now free wrist.

Midori shook her head. "No," she said, glancing around the other trees lining the edge of the cliff. "Some of these have keys missing."

"Come on then, we should head back. Maybe we can catch up," Tezuka replied.

She smirked. "Want to race?" she challenged.

Tezuka glanced at her. "We are racing."

Midori chuckled. "No, I mean me and you! Want to race back? Or-" –she stepped closer to him, leaving only an inch between them – "-are you scared?"

Despite the fact that he was biting back the urge to close that inch between them, Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "Scared? Of what, may I ask?"

"Of losing, of course," Midori answered, smirking. She liked this, bringing out his competitive side. _It's definitely the more fun side_, she thought.

"Oh really? Because I was thinking more along the lines that _you _might get scared if I leave you behind, alone in the woods."

"Ah, the sarcastic side of you. Always a pleasant surprise," she grinned. "So are we racing or not?"

"You're on," Tezuka smirked.

Midori smiled and without a warning, she suddenly whipped around and raced away. Tezuka followed in pursuit, zipping past teams heading in the opposite direction. It was a minute or two before he found her in sight.

He was only meters behind her now, within hearing distance. "No heads up, huh?" he said, trying his best to keep up with her, and that surprised him, though he would never admit it.

Midori giggled as she dodged a tree. "I didn't think you'd need one." She glanced back to see him rolling his eyes. "What's wrong captain? Can't keep up?" she teased.

In their bid to outrun each other, Tezuka and Midori barely noticed that they had overtaken Kite and Misaki from Higa, who were ahead of them.

"So are we betting on this?" Tezuka asked her while he was still in earshot of her.

"You're going to end up owing me," she grinned.

It was a few more minutes before Midori saw the woods clearing up again and she dashed past the last row of trees and into the streaming sunlight. Panting heavily and sweating, Midori stopped at the courts. "Third," Kurobe-san greeted her with a smile. "Where is your partner?"

"Right here." Tezuka emerged from the woods and handed the coach the handcuff and key.

Midori glanced around to see that they had been beaten by Sanada and Azumi, and Kenya and Aioki. _Kenya is pretty fast from what I heard_, she thought, glancing at the two. _No wonder, they're probably first._

Grabbing two water bottles from a table coach Narita had set up, Midori walked over to Tezuka. "I bet you're glad you didn't bet now huh?" she grinned, pleased with the fact that she'd had the upper hand this time.

Tezuka rolled his eyes as he caught the extra bottle she'd tossed to him. "As much as I hate to admit it – and trust me I do – yes, I am glad I didn't bet."

She grinned, although she was not satisfied just yet. "Say it." She didn't have to explain what exactly she wanted to hear; Tezuka already knew.

He stared at her defiantly but Midori would not let go so easily. The two had a staring contest for a full minute before Tezuka finally sighed in defeat. "Fine," he muttered. "Your skills in _running_ are far more _superior_ than mine could ever be. My speed is no match for _yours_. I am honored to have raced against you, Sayuki. You are simply the best."

His speech dripped with sarcasm. Midori knew that but she didn't care; she was just happy to hear it from Tezuka himself. She smiled smugly before walking off to meet Hikari and Fuji, who had just emerged from the woods.

Tezuka smirked inwardly; it was strange but he found himself watching her every step. He didn't know what it was, but there was just something about Midori that got to him, pulled out emotions from deep within him. Emotions he didn't know he was capable of, especially for a girl who had been nothing more than a classmate to him just a few months ago.

It was as if she knew that Tezuka was thinking about her because at that instant, Midori glanced at him. Her green eyes caught his hazel ones and her lips slowly spread into the most sincere smile he'd ever seen.

It was in that moment, when his heart tugged inside his chest, that Tezuka realized something. He was falling for her; he was falling for Midori. Time seemed to freeze as he let the thought sink in. _God, what is this girl doing to me? _He said to himself. His last thought lingered in his head as coach Kurobe declared the race over and prepared the campers for the next activity.

* * *

The rest of the morning went by fast as the students were kept busy with non-stop drills and training. By lunchtime, everyone was exhausted and hungry; even Tezuka, who was normally used to long hard exercises, found himself wishing for a break. As he grabbed some lunch and found an empty table, his roommate Shiraishi joined him.

"At the rate this is going – and, note, we've only had one morning here – I don't think we're going to survive two more days here," he grinned as he sat down.

Tezuka allowed himself a small smile. Yes, it was unbelievable but he liked Shiraishi. He was easygoing and he never judged on the fact that everyone saw his roommate as an emotionless statue. They had gotten along right from the start and, in less than a day, Tezuka had already felt like they'd been long-time friends.

"I give it 'til tonight before we're already begging to go home," he replied.

Shiraishi chuckled and then shrugged. "I don't know, I think I might just bear it all if, well, you know."

Tezuka smirked to himself. Yeah, he knew it alright. Shiraishi would put up with all the drills and training for days – maybe even weeks – for his partner Shiori. After witnessing them bickering in the dorm halls yesterday before dinner, it was obvious that Shiraishi had a thing for Shiori. She on the other hand…

"She seems to hate your guts you know," Tezuka pointed out.

Shiraishi snorted. "That's what she's been saying since we were ten."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "You've known her that long?"

Shiraishi grinned. "She lives on my street. I practically grew up with her."

"Well then it's no wonder she hates your guts," Tezuka joked.

"And speaking of the devil," Shiraishi smirked and pointed to his left. Midori and Shiori were carrying their lunch trays and heading straight in their direction.

Shiori sighed as they walked towards Tezuka and Shiraishi's table. "I'm telling you this is a bad idea," she muttered to Midori. "You don't want to meet him, trust me."

Midori rolled her eyes at her roommate. "Stop exaggerating. Shiraishi can't be that bad; he actually seems pretty cool."

"You wouldn't say that if you've known him for seven years," Shiori muttered through clenched teeth, glaring in Shiraishi's direction. "All those pranks that asshole has pulled on me. Did I ever tell you how he dyed my hair green once? Or how he ruined my date with a senpai back in first-year?"

Midori stood dumbfounded for a second. "Okay, I admit I wouldn't exactly be happy with all that either," she said, to which Shiori gave her the 'told you so' look, "but that's how boys are. I mean he was an immature little 13-year-old. All boys are stupid like that at that age." Midori glanced at the boys' table. "Come on," she smiled, pulling her roommate along.

"Hey guys," Midori smiled as she sat down opposite Tezuka, who nodded.

"Sayuki, nice to meet you," Shiraishi greeted and then acknowledged his partner. "Shiori."

He gave her an irresistible smile that would've knocked the breath out of any girl but Shiori glared at him resolutely. "You."

"Still cranky I see," Shiraishi noted, smiling even though he knew it would annoy Shiori.

"Well I _was_ handcuffed to you for at least half and hour, so can you really blame me?" she replied sarcastically.

"Ouch," he answered with equal sarcasm. "And here I was thinking it was _your_ lucky day."

Shiori's jaw set and Midori could tell this was heading in the direction of a full-out fight. "So… practice today was crazy huh?" She cut in before Shiori could go off on Shiraishi.

She glanced at Tezuka for help. "You bet," he answered sarcastically, causing Midori to glare at him, although she knew it had no effect on him.

Midori kept the conversation going but, after a while, it was unnecessary because it came to them so easily. Shiori and Shiraishi had put aside their bickering and, once the initial awkwardness had disappeared, they felt like long-time friends catching up on things; even Tezuka was talking more than usual, Midori noticed. And despite the fact that the two pairs might be opponents on the courts one day, there were no feelings of rivalry. To Midori, that, above all things, was the beauty of friendship.

* * *

**So, how was this one? :D**

**I really wanted to do a scene in the woods for Tezuka and Midori and finally got the chance in this chapter. ^_^**

**We also meet Shiraishi and learn more about his relationship with Shiori. I kinda like this fun, prank-loving side of Shiraishi :P. What about you guys? **

**And in terms of Midori and Tezuka's relationship... he finally admits to himself that he's falling for her! That took forever haha.  
**

**I admit this chapter was supposed to be longer but I didn't want to throw in everything at once. **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this update. Let me know what you think and REVIEW, please and thank you! ^_^  
**


	17. With Me

**A/N: Hello folks, I'm back with an update. It's been a while, I know, but I hope you haven't given up on Tezuka and Midori because I've finally gotten to the chapter I've wanted to write for SO long but just never got the the time to. Anyways, here it is! Enjoy. ^_^**

Chapter 17 – With Me

Several days had passed since the high school-ers arrived at the Mixed Doubles Training Camp and ever since, they'd been worked like military soldiers. Morning practice was drills for hours it seemed and the afternoon was full of long, grueling matches against other pairs. In between training, there was also schoolwork to finish but most of them were so tired that a lot of their free time went to sleeping or just relaxing in the rec. room.

Another day of practice had started. Morning was the usual exhausting exercise but it was now late in the afternoon and Tezuka and Midori were playing a practice match against their roommates.

"Game – Set! Shiraishi and Sakurai win 6 games to 4!"

"Good game," Tezuka walked over to the net to congratulate his opponents.

"Yeah," Midori joined him, smiling. "You guys can't stand each other off the court but who knew you work so well together on court?"

"She's right Shiori," Shiraishi smirked at his partner. "We do make a great team don't we?"

Shiori rolled her eyes and pushed him away, although Shiraishi took no offence and just chuckled. She sighed in frustration. _God, I hate him!_ Sometimes, it annoyed her so much how cocky Shiraishi could be. Even when she was rude to him and told him off for all his silly pranks, he never got offended because he thought that she liked him.

"Good game guys," Shiori smiled at Tezuka and Midori. "Keep working on reading the shots. You missed some because you were confused about which one of you was going to get it."

Tezuka nodded and glanced at Midori. "Yeah, we'll work on that."

Midori gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry," she mouthed. She couldn't believe that she'd misread that ball. _If I had got it, we might not have lost just yet._

Tezuka shook his head. "It's ok," he said. "We'll win next time."

"Not if I can help it," Shiraishi chuckled, leading the way back inside. Practice was over for the day and they all wanted to relax a bit before dinner.

Shiori raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I do all the work."

Midori sighed as they made their way to their dorms, knowing that this would set off bickering that would last well past dinner. And she was right.

Shiori and Shiraishi argued all throughout dinner but what surprised her most was that they didn't even notice when she and Tezuka had decided to leave. They were so absorbed with each other that they had no idea of what was going on around them. _When will she just admit she likes him?_ Midori smirked as she watched Shiori bicker with her partner from another table.

Once she finished eating, Midori made her way back to her room. It had been a few days since she'd gotten the chance to read her book and she was literally dying to crack it open once more. She was a bookworm and she knew it so, naturally, a few days without a book was agonizing for her.

"Finally some peace and quiet," she murmured as she closed the door behind her. Everyone, including Shiori, was downstairs in the rec. room. From what she heard earlier, there was going to be an arm-wrestling match between some of the guys so there was no way she was going to get some peace. To add to that, there was the constant music and video games, making the task of reading nearly impossible.

Midori changed into her usual green tank top and white shorts and settled into bed with her Pride and Prejudice novel. She didn't know for how long she'd been engrossed in the book but she was surprised when she reached the last page.

Midori sighed and set the book down on her night stand. _Well, that's probably another record,_ she smirked, remembering the number of times Hikari had teased her about her obsession with the novel. But now that she was finished with it yet again, she had no idea what to do.

Glancing at her alarm clock, she noted that it was only 10 p.m. _Too early to sleep,_ she thought. She glanced at the large window in her room. _I could use some fresh air..._ Grabbing her shoes, Midori decided to head out for a late-night walk.

* * *

She walked slowly along the camp grounds, letting the warm breeze of the night wash her face. It was quiet except for the sound of a few crickets in the background. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary for all she could tell but something caught her eye as she walked past the woods on the west side of the main building. Just within the clearing was an old tennis court, lit well and when Midori stepped closer, she noticed that someone was actually playing there.

_Who in their right mind would be practicing here?_ She thought, observing the area. _And at this hour?_ She had never been to this side of the building so it was no wonder that she didn't know of the place. Midori wasn't sure anyone knew for that matter. Walking closer, she realized the person was none other than Tezuka. _I should've seen that coming;_ she smirked and rolled her eyes, knowing how much he liked to practice.

Midori watched silently from behind a tree, amazed at his dedication for tennis and, at the same time, judging him to be absolutely crazy. After a while, she couldn't help but chuckle and knowingly gave herself away.

Tezuka, who had thrown up a tennis ball to practice his serve, let it drop and glanced around to see Midori watching him, smiling as she leaned against the trunk of a tree. "Should you really be out alone at this hour?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Midori, still smirking, peeled herself off the tree and walked over to him. "Should _you_ really be practicing at this hour?" she challenged jokingly. "How do you know about this place anyway?"

She glanced over the court, noticing that it wasn't in the best of conditions as it looked like some of the street courts back in Tokyo; fading lines, old net with holes, rusted poles on the sides, and even a bit of graffiti, minus the crude words. _That must've been cleaned up ASAP,_ she thought, picturing coach Narita's probable displeasure. But other than that, Midori was surprised to find that the court looked fairly clean.

"I came across it earlier and asked coach Kurobe if I could do some extra practice here," he answered. "What are you doing out now?"

"It was too early to sleep," she admitted, smiling, not realizing that she was momentarily sending Tezuka into oblivion. "Well, I'm here anyways… so, how about a game?"

It was only when she turned away to take an extra racket from his bag that he grasped what she'd said. "I'm warning you, I won't go easy," he answered, smirking, knowing that she would have some swift reply.

And he was right. Midori whipped around, hands on her hips and a smirk on her face that mirroring his. "I expect nothing less from Seigaku's captain."

Tezuka walked over to his baseline, remnants of the smirk still on his face. He tossed her the ball. "Your serve."

"No, I insist," she said as she threw it back.

"Ladies first," he countered as he bounced it to her once more.

"Okay," she sighed, giving up. "Here I go." She served.

* * *

An hour later…

"Remind me…" Midori panted, her breathing heavy due to adrenaline, "to never… take you on again."

Tezuka had won the game, during which he also helped her practice some of his moves like the Zero-shiki serve and the Tezuka Zone that she'd been wanting to learn for a while now.

"I warned you, didn't I?" Tezuka's breathing was just as heavy. They had gone all out tonight, playing to their hearts' desires and neither of them had any regrets about it.

Midori, out of exhaustion, sat down on the ground and Tezuka hopped over the net to join her. The two sat in blissful silence, the only sound, other than their breathing, being from distant crickets. When her breathing had finally returned to normal, Midori lay down on her back and gazed at the stars.

_It must be late,_ Tezuka wondered absently. The court lights, which he'd been told were controlled by the staff members, had gone out just as their match finished so he figured that everyone thought he was inside by now. He knew he should've been inside. But then there was the girl next to him.

He lay down beside her, folding his hands behind his head. With them just lying there in the darkness of the warm night, surrounded by trees, it felt like they were in their own little world. Just the two of them. And any thought of having to return to the real world, other people's world, seemed almost painful.

So Tezuka was more than happy to push away the thought and focus on the stars. He liked going camping - loved it a lot, in fact, when his grandfather was still around – and one of his favorite parts was stargazing. With no lights on and the sun well down, he could recognize a lot of the constellations.

Tezuka let his mind drift to the stories his grandfather used to tell him when he was little until something popped into his head. He turned to glance at her. "Do you ever wish you could just stop time?"

Midori thought about that, briefly wondered what could've prompted Tezuka to ask such a random question, and then finally shook her head. "No, I guess not."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "Yeah right," he said, not, for one second, believing her.

Midori again shook her head. Still lying down, she turned to face him, this time determined to defend her choice. She had no idea what kind of effect she was having on Tezuka, with her face so close to his. A part of him was just dying to draw her closer, dying to know what she felt like in his arms.

"No, what good would that do anyways?" Her question, although rhetorical, brought his attention back to what she was saying. "Yeah, I admit, there are times which you'd want to relive but if that's all you ever thought about then you'd never move on, right?"

"Point taken." Tezuka paused to look at her and felt something give inside of him. Even though she was pink in the face from all the exercise and, like him, probably still a little sweaty, she was beautiful. Not the movie-star or model kind of gorgeous but better. She was natural. And her imperfections made her even more so, in his eyes if nobody else's. "But what if everything you had – everything you ever wanted - was in that moment?" _These words are my heart and soul…_

Midori had no reply. All she could do was gaze into his brown eyes, which held onto her green ones, not allowing her to look away. _Is he… is he trying to say something,_ she thought because, suddenly, it felt like his every word had some meaning behind them. _Everything you had… everything you ever wanted… _What_ would_ she do? _Everything you ever wanted… in that moment… _

"Then…" she whispered, her eyes still locked with his. Her heart began to pound faster as the words rolled out. "Then forget about yesterday. _It's already gone._ Forget about tomorrow. _It may never come._ And that moment… hold onto it. Stop time if you have to," she couldn't help but chuckle a little as she thought of his impossible question. As she sobered again, she said, "But, if anything, live in that moment." She turned to him with an amused smile, finding it now easy to speak her heart despite it hammering relentlessly in her chest. "I mean really, how many moments in your life will you be able to look back to and think 'Yeah, that was… everything?'"

The battle inside Tezuka died at this point. His heart, on the other hand, pounded harder and faster in his chest. He could no longer stop himself – no longer wanted to – as he leaned over Midori and pressed his lips to hers.

Midori froze on the old tennis court, her eyes wide from shock. She wasn't sure of how to react – if to react at all! But Tezuka… he was too tempting and she was too tired of holding back. So, slowing closing her eyes, Midori kissed him back. And it was like lightening; a spark only they could create, together.

Neither of them knew how many seconds – or even minutes, maybe - had passed so it was like time really _had_ stopped that warm night, on that old tennis court. But that didn't matter to them. Nothing in the world could possibly have except that sweet, blissful moment. _I don't want this moment to ever end… where everything's nothing without you… _

* * *

**Well there it is - the first kiss! :D**

**I had wanted this to happen for so long but it just didn't seem right to rush it. Midori and Tezuka finally come to it on their own terms lol.**

**You may have noticed that some of the phrases in italics are lyrics. They are from With Me by Sum 41 (hence the title), the song that inspired this chapter.  
**

**As always, love to hear your thoughts so please review! ^_^  
**


	18. The Morning After

**A/N: Hello everyone! ^_^ So sorry it was another long few months for an update. But here it is! Enjoy!  
**

Chapter 18 – The Morning After

The sun had barely risen by the time Midori awoke. Her green eyes slowly fluttered open as she shuffled in bed. Gradually, she raised herself enough to see her alarm clock. The neon green digits read 5 A.M.

Midori sighed; now that she was awake, she knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. She glanced outside the window in the room. It was still slightly dark, and she momentarily wondered if it was going to rain. Midori smirked. _Well that wouldn't be such a bad thing_, she thought, realizing that it would give her the opportunity to hang out inside all day, and as long as there was a certain tall, brown-haired guy, she wouldn't mind at all.

Just the thought of Tezuka brought a soft smile to her lips, the lips he had kissed last night. Midori remembered last night with such detail that it shocked her. She remembered exactly how he'd gazed at her, his face inscrutable, and then had suddenly leaned in to kiss her.

Unconsciously, Midori reached out to touch her lips and even at least several hours later, she felt she could still taste him. A part of her longed to - even now at five in the morning, but a part of her, mainly the pessimistic part, reminded her to take a reality check. _It was just one kiss;_ the words from last night flooded back to her.

_Midori and Tezuka scuttled quickly but quietly through the corridor of the dormitory. They had been outside on an old tennis court near the west woods, and that too, way past the unofficial curfew of at least 11 P.M. But the coaches were normally okay with students staying past the hour as long as they were up and ready to go on time the next morning. So it had come as a surprise, to say the least, when Tezuka's cell phone had rung with a call from Shiraishi, warning them that coach Narita was doing a check of the dormitory._

_Their breathing now slightly heavy and their faces a little pink, they finally reached their rooms. Panting, Midori silently prayed that coach Narita hadn't already visited their dorms. Although there was no sign of her, she didn't want to take any chances. She turned to say a quick goodnight to Tezuka but before she could get a word out, he pressed his lips to her, giving her a chaste kiss. He smiled briefly at her slightly dazed look and nudged her gently toward her room. "Go before we both get in trouble," he whispered._

_Shaking out of her stupor, Midori nodded, although she couldn't help but steal another glance at him. By the time she turned around though, Tezuka had already escaped to his room. With a small, content smile playing on her lips, Midori let herself into her own dorm. Only to find Shiori standing right there in the middle with a huge grin plastered on her face. Midori sighed, "Don't ask."_

_Shiori didn't lose her enthusiasm, like Midori had hoped. "Okay, fine then I'll answer. You were with Tezuka, weren't you?"_

_Midori sat down on her bed and took off her shoes. "That's still technically a question," she replied._

_Shiori rolled her eyes. "Midori, really?" She couldn't believe her friend was trying to change the topic to grammar, out of all things, when she could've possibly just been on a date with Tezuka!_

_Midori sighed mentally, knowing that Shiori wouldn't give up. "Okay, so I was with Tezuka. Big deal!"_

"_It's a hell of a big deal!" Shiori grinned and sat down cross-legged on Midori's bed. "So how was the date?"_

"_It wasn't a date. It wasn't even planned or anything. He was practicing, I happened to pass by, we played a game or two, then talked and…" Midori faltered as a small smile crept on her face. _

_She didn't even have to say it; Shiori already knew what happened next. "He kissed you, didn't he?"_

_Still beaming, Midori nodded slowly, to which her roommate pretended to shriek with joy (the only thing stopping her was the fact that it was almost midnight and that coach Narita might hear her). Shiori put her arms around Midori's shoulders and hugged her. "I'm so happy for you!"_

_Midori couldn't help but giggle along with her roommate. "Don't let me get too ahead of myself. It was just one kiss." Two actually; some small voice in her head pointed out the one Tezuka had just given her in the hall. _

_Shiori rolled her eyes, but grinned anyways. "So does this mean you guys are together now?"_

_Midori didn't reply. She wasn't sure herself of the answer to that. Were they 'together?' Did one kiss make the difference between being friends and being something more? Midori sighed. "To be honest Shiori, I don't really know," she glanced at her roommate, who was now slowly climbing into her own bed. "I guess we'll… figure that out eventually."_

_Shiori nodded perceptively but then gave Midori a cheerful grin. "Don't worry, I bet he's probably dying to ask you out and make it official."_

_Midori smiled as she, too, slipped into bed but the slowly growing doubts still lingered somewhere in her head._

They were still there, Midori realized; a part of her still wondered if it was just a kiss to Tezuka. The thought of that felt like a slap in the face, which could have broke not her jaw, but quite possibly her heart. Could have left it shattered like glass. Yet, Midori remained intact, something indescribable holding her together. She suspected it was her faith in Tezuka. She trusted him not to hurt her like that - she had to. Or else she might actually break. He was the first guy that she actually felt something real for. It wasn't some silly little crush. This time any sort of rejection would sting, maybe even scar her.

_He wouldn't._ She closed her eyes and let herself picture him. _He would never hurt me like that._ A sense of comfort and ease past over her as the thought resonated in her mind. After resting in bed for a while, Midori finally decided to get up. Sleep was not coming so she might as well start the day. Shiori had told her last night that the coaches were giving them a day off for rest. Not that anyone was complaining; everyone was tired and needed a break.

Midori picked up a clean t shirt, a pair of black yoga pants, and a towel and headed towards the girls' bathroom. After a quick shower, she stowed her things back in her room and was about to head down to the cafeteria when she heard the sound of a door open. Midori turned to see a sleepy Tezuka walk out of his room. He wore no shirt, just a casually baggy pair of shorts, making it all the more harder for Midori to not stare. Regardless, her eyes subtly ran over him, noticing his built – lean but well-toned. Midori smirked; all _that training isn't going to waste after all._ She leaned on the wall, crossed her arms across her chest and waited for Tezuka to notice her.

* * *

Tezuka rubbed his eyes, trying to banish sleep. He wasn't sure why he'd gotten up so early; after all, he hadn't slept much last night. It wasn't until at least 2 A.M. that he'd finally dozed off. _Well no wonder with Shiraishi's snoring_, he thought, annoyed by the fact that he had to toss a pillow at him to make him roll over and face the other side. Despite that, Tezuka couldn't put all the blame on his roommate. His mind kept wandering to Midori every time he tried to fall asleep and each time, thinking about her, it made him wider awake than ever. Even now, the thought of her made it difficult for him to think about anything else.

Trying to clear his mind, Tezuka ran a hand through his golden-brown hair. As he was about to turn back and go inside, he noticed someone standing by the corner of the hall. Although without his glasses, he easily recognized it to be Midori. _Like you could ever forget her face_, some small voice in his head said. Tezuka ignored it and focused on Midori instead.

She was eying him no doubt and, despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but feel a sort of self-satisfaction seep in. He knew he was good-looking (he'd been told countless times by fan-girls) but the fact that Midori was checking him out… well, that was approval enough for him to do the same back.

_Two can play at this game,_ he smirked and mimicked her. He leaned on the side of door and folded his arms across his bare chest and waited for their imminent staring contest to begin. He saw the smirk on her face grow but still she didn't say anything. He knew she was silently goading him but he wasn't going down that easy.

They were still and mute for several minutes, more than either had expected but, eventually, Midori gave in and broke the silence. "Fine, I guess I'll have to be the grownup here," she joked.

Tezuka shrugged. "What can I say? I don't like to lose."

Midori smirked. "I know."

Again, there was a minute of silence but this time Tezuka broke it. He crossed the small corridor in a stride and captured Midori's lips in a kiss. Unlike their first kiss, her reaction this time was instant. She kissed him back with equal passion and Tezuka couldn't help but snake an arm around her to pull her closer. His other hand reached out for the wall behind Midori as he gently pushed her back to it. It was slightly surprised him when she weaved the slender fingers of her left hand around his nape, pulling him closer and suddenly deepening the kiss.

It made it more difficult than ever for Tezuka to pull away, although for the most part, because of how intoxicated he felt by just kissing Midori and, as much as it shocked him, he couldn't deny that slowly but surely he would become addicted to this. The adrenaline, the pounding in his chest, the way her every touch drove him closer and closer to the edge. Even the way she left him dying for more, he realized, when they finally pulled apart.

They stood still for a while, not moving an inch farther away as they calmed themselves. Eventually, their eyes met for a moment and they both broke into quiet laughter. It was the first time Midori had heard him laugh genuinely; the happiness, for once, seemed to reach his normally stony look and it brought a certain spark to his hazel eyes that she found to be quite mesmerizing.

The whole thing surprisingly felt so natural to her, almost as innate as breathing, yet she didn't know they were capable of this level of familiarity until now. It was a comfort to learn, as she had now, that last night wasn't just a one-time thing. That one kiss and a night hadn't changed how he felt about her.

It was with this thought that Midori slowly locked her hands behind his neck. It brought his attention back to her and he gave a picture-perfect smile, making her wish she had her camera with her that instant. "You know the more I see you smile, the more I think the whole serious, brooding look doesn't suit you," she teased, unconsciously playing with the tuft of hair on the back of his head.

Tezuka rolled his eyes. "If you think that's going to make me smile more, think again."

Midori sighed but smiled nonetheless. "Stubborn as always."

Tezuka shrugged. "I can be."

"Oh really?" Midori raised an eyebrow in false curiosity. "Well then it's a good thing I can be too."

Tezuka mimicked her and raised an eyebrow as well but before he could say something, Shiraishi appeared at the door, also shirtless. "Well, if it isn't our new lovebirds," he smirked and leaned on the doorframe.

While Tezuka resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his roommate, Midori seemed unaffected by the comment. She chuckled and said, "Morning Shiraishi."

Before he could greet back, another door burst open – this time, Midori's – and there stood Shiori, looking quite like a mess. Her reddish-orange hair was all over the place, she still looked half-asleep, and it didn't help that she was wearing bright pink pajamas with little piggy face on them.

Immediately Shiraishi burst out in laughter, which, along with the fact that he was shirtless, distracted Shiori from saying what she was going to. She silently chided herself for blushing and turned crankily to him. "Shiraishi you idiot! What do you have to be so loud in the morning?"

Her partner was now holding his stomach, guffawing to no end. "Those… are your… pajamas?" He barely got the words out.

Shiori looked down at pajamas self-consciously and turned a shade of pink that was dangerously close to matching them. She glared at Shiraishi angrily. "We all know who the real pig here is, you jerk!" With that, she turned around and slammed the door, only to reopen it once again to grin at Tezuka and Midori. "Morning you two," she chirped cheekily. She returned to her room once again after throwing another dirty glare at Shiraishi, who, still chuckling, was now heading to his own dorm as well.

"Feel the love," Tezuka muttered sarcastically once he was alone with Midori. It earned him a laugh and a playful slap on the shoulder.

"Don't you have a shower to take?" Midori asked, gently peeling herself away. Tezuka sighed, not wanting to leave just yet. She smiled and nudged him to his room. "Meet me downstairs for breakfast after."

"Yes ma'am," he smirked as she pecked him on the cheek one last time and headed for the cafeteria.

* * *

When Tezuka found Midori some time later, she was sitting at one of the lunch tables doing homework while eating breakfast and, at her insistence, he worked on his too. When they were finished, Tezuka had left with Shiraishi for a basketball game some of the guys were playing outside. It had surprised her; after all Tezuka had never been the type to hang out a lot. But she was glad that he was opening up. _It'll do him some good_, she thought smiling, happy to see that at least some part of him was human and trying to have fun.

Deep in thought, she barely noticed Hikari and Irime approaching with their breakfast trays. "What are you so smiley-smiley about?" Hikari asked as they sat down opposite to Midori.

Midori cleared her throat, trying to hide the slight blush forming on her cheeks. "Oh, uh nothing," she muttered, "how are you two?" Practice everyday has been so hectic that they barely had time to talk nowadays.

Irime shrugged, digging into her food. "Okay. Tired as hell," she replied, "but we'll live. How are you keeping up?"

Midori groaned mentally, hating the start of this conversation already. She knew her friends way too well by now so the fact that they were making small talk with her meant that they were up to something. "Alright," she sighed, "What is it? What do you want?"

"Normally when people try to make chitchat," Hikari said, avoiding the question, "you're supposed to go along with it."

"Yeah, well lucky for me I know my friends don't really do chitchat," Midori jabbed back, smirking. Picking out a grape from her friend's salad, she said, "So cut to the chase."

"Alright," Irime said, following her captain's lead and picking through Hikari's fruit salad. "Where were you last night? Everyone was in the rec. room but we didn't see you."

"Or Tezuka for that matter," Hikari added, grinning cheekily.

Midori sighed inwardly. _I knew it would come to this eventually,_ she thought. Only Shiori and Shiraishi knew about what happened last night and, although she didn't mind them knowing, she was still reluctant about more people finding out, especially when she herself wasn't certain of what was going on with her and Tezuka. But she knew she could trust her friends so she delved into the events of the previous night.

Once Midori finished her story, she fell silent, waiting for some reaction from her friends. But all she got were stunned stares - before they broke into huge grins at least. "Congrats," Irime chuckled, "Only girl ever to make Tezuka fall for her."

A small smile grew on Midori's face. _Well I fell pretty damn hard for him too…_

"So is it safe to assume you two are going out now?" Hikari teased.

Midori remained silent. For the second time since last night, she is reminded of the fact that nothing about her and Tezuka's relationship was 'official' yet. "I… I don't really know," she admitted, sounding, much to her dismay, like an insecure school girl with a crush. "He hasn't asked me about it if that's what you mean."

"Anyone can see that he's crazy about you!" Irime pointed out.

Hikari nodded. "Yeah, Tezuka has never shown the slightest of interest in any girl before you came along. You guys spend so much time together, even back in school. It's pretty obvious that he wants to be with you."

Midori nodded half-heartedly, not quite convinced.

"I wish I had some data or something to assure you," Irime smirked, "but my book is filled with info on our opponents. I got quite a bit on Misaki and Isaki, the twins from Higa. Rooming with Misaki does have its advantages I guess… even if I have to put up with her fantasizing about her school winning the Nationals," she muttered.

"Anything on Hyotei?" Midori asked, hoping that they would have at least some advantage if they ever had to face them.

"Yeah," Irime grinned. "Inui and I have been watching a couple of their matches. Himeko, that second-year who's partnered with Choutarou… she isn't half-bad," she remarked. "Definitely not National-level yet but she might be able to put up a good fight. Yuushi and Satomi are dangerous as always. Quite good at doubles but, as we all know, excellent at singles."

Midori nodded. "She's the best player on their girls' team. She always plays number one singles."

"I don't know," Hikari said with uncertainty, "Haruhi is improving fast if you guys have noticed. I saw her practicing serving the other day. She has gotten much better since she transferred from Seishun it seems."

"But we know her playing style," Irime reasoned, "her game isn't that strong. I don't think we should be too worried about her," she glanced at Midori, "we can handle it."

"We should never be too laidback about it though," Midori replied, "so as a precaution, if you ever get a chance to collect some info on her-"

"I know, I'm on it," Irime rolled her eyes but smiled anyways. "I'm also keeping an eye out on the girls from Rikkai. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see them play tomorrow or something."

"Yeah," Hikari nodded. "In the meantime, what do you guys want to do? How about a game of pool?" And so the girls headed to the rec. room, hoping to relax and enjoy the free day they had.

* * *

**There you have it folks. :) **

**This is the first chapter that I had a flashback scene. I hope it wasn't confusing. ^_^'**

**What do you think of the little spat Shiori and Shiraishi have in the morning? I had fun writing that haha. Look out for more ShiorixShiraishi action in one of the following chapters. :)**

**I had a major fangirl moment when writing about Tezuka shirtless. Shiraishi too. :P Can you imagine waking up to see that first thing in the morning? :3 That was actually one of the parts I had trouble writing. xD But as Saya-plus put it, no words are necessary when you have a shirtless Tezuka lol. **

**Anyways, hope you enjoyed this update. Please review! ^_^**


	19. Gone Too Far

**A/N: Hey readers! Here is another chapter so, as always, enjoy! ^_^**

Chapter 19 – Gone Too Far

It was nearly noon by the time the boys' basketball game finished. "Hey, good game guys," Shiraishi smiled and shook hands with his opponents. They had made random teams and it had been him, Tezuka, and Saeki from Rokkaku teaming up against Sengoku, Kenya, and his cousin Yuushi in a friendly three-on-three. They had put up a good match but Shiraishi's team had come out winning in the end.

"We're going to kick your ass next time." Kenya grinned as he walked over to his captain.

Shiraishi snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, we'll see about that," he replied, wiping sweat off his brow. "You owe me some yen by the way," he added smirking, only to hear a muttered "damn it" from the other boy. Kenya had made a bet with him on the game and, as a result, had lost about a week's worth of allowance money.

After a quick bye to everyone, Shiraishi exited the gym and headed upstairs. He had worked up quite a sweat during the game and was now in a desperate need of a shower. As he was about to turn the corner of the hallway that lead to his room, he did not expect to see Shiori. But there she was, still in her bright pink, piggy-faced pajamas. Shiraishi grinned as he watched her; as ridiculous as he thought her pajamas looked, he couldn't deny that she looked quite cute in them.

He watched her enter her room before turning the corner. As he stepped into his own room, an idea occurred to him and, for a moment, he almost laughed out loud just thinking of it. _Oh man, she's so going to kill me,_ he thought, chuckling. But this was a once in a life-time chance and he was not about to miss out on it.

Shiraishi grabbed his cell phone and headed across the hall. For a second, he almost hesitated, thinking twice about what he was about to do. But the prankster in him couldn't let an opportunity like this pass. So, resolute on going through with this, he knocked.

"It's open," Shiori replied from inside.

_She probably thinks it's Midori; _Shiraishi smirked and pushed the door open. He saw her bent over her duffle bag, obviously searching for clothes, when he yelled, "Say cheese!"

Shiori turned and shrieked in surprise, accidentally dropping whatever she was holding. Shiraishi was standing by the door, laughing as he held up his cell phone and snapped photos. "Shiraishi, you asshole!" she screamed, picking up a stray tennis ball off of her bed. Without hesitation, she angrily hurled it at him.

Shiraishi dodged it, roaring with more laughter as he noticed her flushed face but it wasn't until he was pelted with more tennis balls did he think it was sensible to make a run for it and escape to his room.

* * *

Shiori stood in the centre of her room, red in the face and breathing heavily. She was angry; no, that was definitely an understatement. She had been angry when he had dyed her hair green once. She had been angry when he ruined her date with a senpai back in their first-year. Now, Shiori was furious! She had let those pranks go eventually but her patience had worn thin over the years. Today was the last straw; she was sick of this.

Some part of her brain registered that she should've seen it coming; after all, seven years of knowing Shiraishi had taught her that much. But she had thought he was still at the basketball game some of the guys were playing downstairs. The last thing she had expected was for him to come barging in to take a photo of her still in her pajamas.

Still fuming, Shiori changed into a pair of denim shorts and a tank top. As she sat on her bed, she decided that she had to retaliate to Shiraishi. _If I let him get away with it this time, it'll only make him cockier,_ she thought contemptuously._ I have to get his cell phone and delete the pictures, _she decided._ But how? _

As if someone up there had heard her, she suddenly received an answer in the form of a door opening across the hall. Shiori, who'd been lying on her bed, suddenly bolted upright. When she heard the door closing again, she dashed to hers and opened it as quietly as she could. She peeked out to see none other than Shiraishi walking off in the direction of the boys' bathroom.

_Gone for a shower? I hope so,_ Shiori grinned. This was her chance. She quickly glanced down the corridor to make sure no one saw her and then tiptoed to the dorm across the hall. She hesitated for a moment; sneaking around and trying to break into someone else's room were – as recently demonstrated – Shiraishi's thing, not hers. She didn't want to violate someone's privacy and not to mention that she half-expected an alarm or something to go off.

_Then again, he did violate your privacy,_ a voice inside her head said. _On more than one occasion! _"Damn right," Shiori muttered angrily to herself. Resolutely, she grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. To her immense satisfaction, it clicked open easily. Shiori smirked; people may think Shiraishi had no bad habits but after years of knowing him, she had picked up on the rare few he did have. Forgetting to lock doors, which she was now happy to take advantage of, was one of them.

Shiori pushed open the door to find a fairly neat room, furnished identically to her own. She eyed the room, noticing that there were a few shirts dumped carelessly on one of the beds and, like in her room, there was some stray tennis balls lying on the floor. Other than that though, the place seemed quite decent, she was surprised to find. She had expected to see clothes everywhere, beds unkempt, and empty chip bags and soda cans lying around, like she usually saw in movies.

_Then again, Tezuka shares this room too,_ Shiori realized, almost chuckling. She doubted the room would ever be like that in his presence.

Walking over to what appeared to be Shiraishi's bed, Shiori started searching for his cell phone. She carefully picked through everything in the area, making sure to leave it as she found (so as not to raise suspicion), but she could not find it. _He took it with him?_ Shiori groaned in frustration. _Of course,_ she thought bitterly. _It's not like Shiraishi to leave precious blackmail material lying around, after all!_

"Now what?" She sighed, realizing she had no backup plan. Feeling helpless, she just stood there, observing the room absentmindedly. Just when she was about to turn around, something caught her eye. On Shiraishi's bed, almost covered by the pillow, was a plain silver guitar pick. Shiori recognized it immediately. _It's the guitar pick from that Sum 41 concert… _

She couldn't help but smile as she walked to the bed and collected the pick. It was placed in a thin, silver pick holder that was attached to a chain. Shiori realized it was the one she'd seen Shiraishi wear ever since the concert. It obviously meant a lot to him, for he hadn't let anyone take a closer look let alone touch it.

The guitar pick brought back one of Shiori's happiest memories and for a moment, she smiled thinking of it. On her birthday a few months ago, her friends and teammates from school had surprised her and taken her to the concert. It was the first time she'd been to one and had absolutely loved it! Rock music usually wasn't her type but she knew the band was one of Shiraishi's favorites and since they were only in Osaka for one night, she had agreed to go. To her surprise, she actually enjoyed the band and was now a fan herself.

As for the pick, the lead singer/ guitarist had thrown it into the crowds and Shiori had been the one to catch it of all people. And knowing how much Shiraishi loved the band, she had insisted on him having it (despite his protests that it _was_ her birthday and that she should keep it).

In retrospect, Shiori found her kind act to be a stupid one. _What was I thinking?_ She questioned herself incredulously; she had gone out of her way to be nice to someone who was nothing but the bane of her existence! _Well it's time for payback;_ she smirked, glancing at the chain in her hand. With evil thoughts in mind, Shiori determinedly strode out of the room.

* * *

An hour later…

After grabbing some lunch, Shiori entered the rec room in search for Shiraishi. She figured he must've showered by now and since he wasn't in the cafeteria, he was probably here. She scanned the room, briefly waving at Midori who was playing a game of pool with her Seigaku friends, until she spotted Shiraishi's sandy brown hair on the couch. He was playing some video game with Tezuka, his eyes glued to the TV screen. So it was no surprise that he hadn't seen Shiori approaching.

She snuck up from behind and leaned into Shiraishi's ear. "Recognize this?" she whispered with as much seduction in her voice as she could manage.

Shiraishi, shocked to say the least, dropped his game controller. He turned around with a start to see Shiori holding up the guitar pick chain, laughing at not only his astonished expression but also at the fact that he'd just lost the game to Tezuka.

For a moment, he almost forgot about the tone in which she'd spoken to him. His eyes fell on the chain and immediately widened. "Where'd you get that?"

Shiori smirked. "Don't play dumb; you know where you left it."

Shiraishi stared at her cautiously. He was sure that she was mad at him for his prank but her behavior now seemed to say that she was over it. It confused him to say the least, and for a moment, he wondered if she was feeling okay.

"So this is the guitar pick from that Sum 41 concert right?" Shiori asked despite already knowing the answer. She turned the thin holder over in her hand, taunting him, knowing that he didn't like anyone touching it.

"Shiori give that back," he demanded, getting off the couch. "It's not what you-"

"Relax Shiraishi," she replied with fake innocence. "I only want a closer look at it."

For some odd reason, he colored upon hearing that. "No, you can't take a closer look at it!" He made a grab for it but Shiori was faster.

She pulled it out of his reach and moved away from him. "Why not?"

"Cause I said so!" Shiraishi snapped, now losing patience. "Now give it back!"

Shiori smirked, enjoying the fact that Shiraishi was, for once, at _her _mercy. "Hm… no, I don't think I want to," she replied sarcastically before dashing out of the room, leaving Shiraishi no choice but to chase after her.

He exited the rec. room, ignoring the questioning glances Midori and Tezuka were throwing his way, and returned to the cafeteria. He was just in time to see Shiori snickering at him from across the hall before pushing open a door and slipping through it. _The swimming pool?_ He frowned. _Why the hell is she heading there?_

Having a bad feeling about this, Shiraishi crossed the cafeteria and rushed to the pool. "Shiori!" he called, shoving the door open to see a large blue swimming pool. There was a shallow end and a darker deep one, above which several diving boards were situated.

Shiori stood on the platform by the deep end, one of her hands resolutely on her hip. The other extended out over the pool holding the chain, which dangled ominously above the still water. "Delete them," she demanded, all the previous fun in her voice now gone. "Delete the pictures now or I swear I'll drop this!"

_Okay, so I guess she isn't over it,_ Shiraishi swallowed nervously, thinking about his prank on her earlier in the day. An angry Shiori he'd seen many times, however, a threatening one was something just out of his area of expertise; he'd never seen her retaliate to this degree to any of his pranks until now.

"Shiori, don't play games with me-"

"What? You can't play at your own game?" she mocked, letting the chain sway dangerously in her hand.

"Look, you don't know how important that guitar pick is to me," he replied seriously, walking up to her. "So please," he almost pleaded, "just give it back to me."

Shiori stiffened; in all the years she'd know him, she'd never heard Shiraishi sound so sincere about anything. She'd never seen him plead either. It was breaking her resolve, she knew it, but the way he was looking at her… she couldn't find the strength to resist.

Shiraishi could tell, by the way her eyes softened, that she was hesitating. He slowly closed the distance between them, as if any sudden movement would snap her out of the daze she was falling in. As he reached out to her extended hand, Shiori suddenly jerked and pulled it away, and in turn, accidentally shoved Shiraishi into the pool.

Shiori laughed, throwing her head back. "I've known you for years! Did you really think I was going to fall for that?" Still laughing, she headed towards the exit, the chain still clutched in her hand.

As she pulled the door open, she realized that she hadn't heard Shiraishi emerge from the pool. Shiori paused, a sinking feeling quickly setting in the pit of her stomach. "Shiraishi," she called uneasily, sensing that something was wrong.

"Shiraishi!" She yelled again, rushing over to the deep-end of the pool. "If this is a joke, I swear I will kill you myself! This isn't funny!" But there was no reply. Nervously, she glanced over the water to see a dark form on the far side of the deep-end. _Oh no, _Shiori's breath caught in her throat. _No, no, no. He can't have… he just can't have!_ She could feel the panic replacing the sinking feeling in her now. Was Shiraishi a good swimmer? She actually didn't know. She'd never been to the beach with him and, as far as she knew, tennis was the only sport he actively pursued.

"Shiraishi!" She called desperately one more time but when there was no answer, she set the chain by the pool and threw off her flip flops. Wavering for a moment, Shiori pushed aside her worries and plunged in.

* * *

Shiraishi was almost to the far side of pool when he heard the splash of water that indicated he was not alone in the pool. He smirked as he kicked his legs to keep swimming; _I knew she'd jump._ After the way she'd shoved him into the pool, there was no way he was going to let her get away with it. So the only thing he could think of at that moment was to pretend drowning. He knew Shiori wouldn't leave him and if she thought he was really drowning, there was no doubt in his mind that she would jump in after him.

With a smile still playing on his lips, Shiraishi finally surfaced for air. But to his immense surprise, he saw Shiori struggling to stay afloat. "Shirai-" was all she could say before her head dipped into the water. For a second, Shiraishi thought that she was searching for him underwater but he quickly dismissed that idea when he saw her frantically waving her arms and kicking her legs. The smile on his face disappeared in an instant. _Oh god, she can't… she can't swim?_ The realization snapped him out of the horrorstruck look he held and propelled him to swim as fast as he could over to her.

He could feel the burning in his legs as he pushed himself to gain ground but Shiraishi didn't stop until he reached Shiori. He took a big gulp of air before dipping back in the water. He opened his eyes to see Shiori flailing her arms and legs furiously, her eyes wild with panic. Without thinking twice, Shiraishi snaked an arm protectively around her waist and kicked his legs, trying to get to the surface. But Shiori was still waving desperately and, at the rate she was going, she was bound to bring them down. Shiraishi sighed to himself; _she definitely isn't making this any easier, _he thought.

In an attempt to calm her down, he put a hand on her cheek and made her look him in the eyes. He could feel her freeze against him. _It's okay,_ he tried to say through his eyes and eventually Shiori nodded in understanding. Shiraishi pulled her closer to him and swam up, gasping for air as they broke the surface. For the fear that they would go under again, Shiori desperately clung onto Shiraishi as he dragged her to the edge of the pool and heaved her over. With the last bit of energy he had, he climbed over and collapsed next to her, joining Shiori in her heavy panting.

It was a few minutes before either of them could speak again or do anything other than just lay there. But eventually Shiraishi ignored his aching muscles and forced himself to sit up. Turning to Shiori, he asked, "You alright?"

Shiori sat up slowly. "I…" she started, her voice raspy, but quickly found herself at a loss of what to say. What _could_ she say? He had scared her to death by pretending to drown but then had ended up saving her when she'd come in after him! She was torn between so many emotions; anger, hurt, gratitude. She was even starting to feel guilty for starting this whole mess with the guitar pick.

"Shiori…" Shiraishi's concerned voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She turned to him and blinked, suddenly realizing just how close they were. She could feel herself turning red and despite how much she wanted to, she couldn't look away from his piercing eyes, which held onto hers relentlessly. There were more questions on the way, she knew from his expression, perhaps even a lecture for jumping in despite not being able to swim. But she was in no mood to up against his persistence; she'd learned the hard way that it was greater than hers.

So, afraid that she would break down crying any minute from everything she was holding in, Shiori got up, withdrawing the hand she didn't realize was clutching Shiraishi's arm. The loss of contact almost hurt, to her surprise, but she buried the thought.

"Where are you going?" Shiraishi asked, bewildered at her sudden distancing. "You alright?"

"I-I'm fine," she choked, avoiding his eyes. As she picked up her flip flops, she noticed the silver guitar pick chain still lying on the pool platform. The guilt she suddenly felt brought her to her breaking point and without notice, she bolted from the room, leaving behind a speechless Shiraishi.

* * *

**Oh a cliffhanger! Hehe. **

**As I've mentioned last time, this one focuses solely on Shiori and Shiraishi so sorry I couldn't squeeze in any TezukaxMidori action into this one. ^_^'**

**It was refreshing though to write about another pair. =) What do you think of them as opposed to the main pair?**

**Review and let me know (although it'd be nice to hear something other than 'update now!'). Hehe, I just had to put that in there. :P Anyhow, till next time, ciao!**


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